New York City is the latest government entity to prohibit the use of TikTok — the popular video entertainment app owned by China’s ByteDance — on devices owned by the city.
The NYC Cyber Command, a division of the city’s Office of Technology & Innovation, said city workers must stop using TikTok effective immediately after determining that the app “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks.”
“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,” a rep for the New York City mayor’s office said in a statement to the Verge, which first reported the ban. “NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers’ data safe.”
Reps for TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TikTok has been targeted by American lawmakers wary over its ties to China — and how TikTok handles user data. The political backlash has included Montana’s passing a law effectively banning the app in the state starting in 2024. TikTok sued to overturn the Montana law, arguing that it violates the First Amendment, and has said allegations that the Chinese government could access data on TikTok users are unsubstantiated.
Meanwhile, NYC’s move to block TikTok on city-owned devices comes three years after New York State quietly instituted a similar TikTok ban on government devices in 2020, according to a report by the Times Union.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has an account on TikTok, currently with 11,600 followers — but a notice on the account says, “This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It’s no longer monitored.”
According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in May 2023, 59% of Americans believe TikTok is a threat to the national security of the U.S.; 17% said the platform is not a threat to national security and 23% said they are unsure. Among non-users, 65% say the app is a security threat, including 36% who view it as a major threat. Among TikTok users, just 9% see it as a major threat and about one-third say it’s a minor threat.
In June, TikTok hired former longtime Disney communications chief Zenia Mucha in the newly formed role of chief brand and communications officer. She is responsible for TikTok’s global marketing and communications strategies.