New York bans TikTok on government devices for security reasons

The city of NY on Wednesday banned the use of TikTok in government devices for security reasons, thus joining a series of cities and states of USA who have imposed such restrictions on the short video sharing app.

TikTok, used by more than 150 million Americans and owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has received increasing calls from US lawmakers to ban it nationwide over fears of possible Chinese government intervention.

TikTok “represented a threat to the security of the city’s technical networks.”New York Mayor Eric Adams’ administration said in a statement.

New York City agencies are required to remove the app within 30 days and employees will lose access to the app and its website on City-owned devices and networks. New York had already banned TikTok on state mobile devices.

TikTok said that “It has not shared, and would not share, US user data with the Chinese government, and has taken substantial steps to protect the privacy and security of TikTok users.”

Senior US security officials including FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director William Burns have claimed that TikTok poses a threat.

In March, Wray said the Chinese government could use TikTok to control the software on millions of devices and push narratives to divide Americans, adding that the app “shouts” national security concerns.

Former President Donald Trump tried in 2020 to ban new TikTok downloads, but a series of court decisions blocked the restriction from taking effect.

Many states and cities in the United States have restricted the use of TikTok on public devices. Montana recently passed a law that prohibits enforcement statewide, a rule that goes into effect on January 1 and is being legally challenged.

About half of US adults support banning TikTok, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters