New York City Mayor Eric Adams approved a ban on the popular app TikTok for city government devices (Picture: REUTERS)
New York City has banned TikTok on all city government devices, citing security concerns.
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams joined dozens of US states and the federal government in enacting restrictions on the popular short-form video app on work devices.
‘While social media is great at connecting New Yorkers with one another and the city, we have to ensure we are always using these platforms in a secure manner,’ the mayor’s spokesperson Jonah Allon said on Thursdsay.
Mayor Adams’ administration had previously embraced the app, and used it to post videos up until July 28.
New York City joins 34 other states, as well as the federal government, in banning the app on government devices (Picture: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Now, the mayor’s account displays a message reading: ‘This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It’s no longer monitored.’
Similar messages have been posted on accounts run by other city departments, including Parks Department and the NYPD.
According to the mayor’s office, TikTok now poses ‘a security threat to the city’s technical networks.’
Earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House of Representatives. At the hearing, he promised that all US data would be stored on servers located within the country.
The company also promised it ‘has not shared, and would not share’ the data of US citizens with the government of China.
Restrictions on the popular app have been pursued by both Democrats and Republicans. In 2020, former President Donald Trump tried to ban new downloads of the app, but a series of court decisions found the order unconstitutional.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden signed a bill banning the app on all federal government devices.
A total of 34 other state governments have enacted similar bans on state government devices.
Dozens of state universities have also enacted bans, with some opting to also ban the app from devices connected to on-campus WiFi networks.
In May, Montana became the first state to ban TikTok on all devices, including those owned by private citizens.
The ban, which is set to go into effect on January 1, is being challenged in court by five Montanan TikTok users.
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Mayor Adams’ administration had previously embraced the app, and used it to post videos up until July 28.