New York City on Wednesday joined a wave of states and federal agencies in banning TikTok from government-owned devices based on security concerns, snuffing out some popular city-run TikTok accounts in the process.
Jonah Allon, a spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement that the city’s Cyber Command determined that the app “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks.” City agencies must remove the app within 30 days and employees will lose access to TikTok and its website from city-owned devices and networks.
The TikTok accounts of Mr. Adams, the city’s Department of Sanitation and the Department of Parks and Recreation all updated their bios with this message: “This account was operated by NYC until August 2023.
It’s no longer monitored.”Numerous government officials have been restricting access to TikTok in reaction to concerns that the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could give Beijing access to sensitive user data.
New York State has banned TikTok on state-issued mobile devices for more than three years, with some exceptions.
Persons:
Jonah Allon, Eric Adams, Adams, It’s
Organizations:
Wednesday, Command, city’s Department of Sanitation, Department of Parks, Recreation, New York State
Locations:
York City, City, Beijing