South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem on Friday signed an executive order barring the state from doing business with certain telecommunications companies owned or controlled by “rogue foreign governments.”
The order, according to Noem’s office, blocks business with companies linked to the governments of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. February 25
(Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In addition, Noem’s office said the order, known as Executive Order 2023-2002, requires “every state contract to contain a clause certifying that the contractor is not owned by, influenced by, or affiliated with these parties.”
“Protecting South Dakotans from malicious foreign governments is critical,” Noem said after signing the order, which will take effect next week. “This order ensures that these countries cannot use telecommunications or government procurement to gain access to critical government infrastructure and data.”
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“Maintaining the cybersecurity of South Dakota state government is essential to continuing to serve the citizens of South Dakota,” the order states. “The Chinese Communist Party is increasingly buying up vital agricultural land necessary for the nation’s independence for food, and real estate near critical infrastructure, such as real estate near a military base in Grand Folks, North Dakota.
The order also states that South Dakota is “home to critical infrastructure vital to national security” and that “cybersecurity vulnerabilities can have real-world consequences for South Dakotans.”
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“Countries including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have engaged in increasingly aggressive cyberattacks against United States assets, including Iran’s financially motivated ransomware operations, Russia’s phishing attempts, China’s targeted corporate data mining, cyberattacks on critical ports since 2013 and cyber and physical targeting of power grid stations in Washington, North Carolina and other states in 2022. at the end,” the order notes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
(Getty Images)
Last November, Noem made headlines when he signed an executive order barring government agencies or contractors from accessing the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, warning that the Chinese Communist Party was stealing information from users.
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“It’s off our networks. It’s blocked on our servers. Any state employee, anyone who contracts with the state of South Dakota, anyone who uses any of our systems will no longer be able to download or use this program because of the national security threat that yes there is,” Noem told Fox News at the time.
Accessing the app will be a criminal offense, she said, adding that TikTok threatens the state’s Mount Rushmore and the personal data of all South Dakotans, including Americans.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this article.
