New York City has issued a directive banning China’s TikTok from all city-owned devices, citing security threats to the city’s technical networks.
The Verge reports that New York City has taken a decisive step in the ongoing debate over the security of the Chinese social media app TikTok. The city has issued a directive requiring all city agencies to remove the app from city-owned devices within the next 30 days. The decision comes after a review by the NYC Cyber Command, which found that TikTok posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks.
“NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers’ data safe,” a New York City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. “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 ban on TikTok follows guidelines from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, which discourages the use of the app on government devices. It also comes on the heels of federal legislation banning the app from government devices that was passed earlier this year.
The security concerns surrounding TikTok have been a topic of discussion for several years. Congress has been attempting to push through legislation banning TikTok nationwide for more than three years, alleging that the app and its Chinese owner, ByteDance, can use the data it collects to spy on Americans.
A number of US states have prohibited the use of TikTok on government-owned devices. Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed a bill in May that outlawed the app throughout the state, making it the first state to implement such a ban. Following the signing of the bill into law, TikTok users and the company filed a lawsuit against Montana, asserting that it violated the free speech rights of the state’s residents.
In 2020, New York state prohibited the use and download of TikTok on government-owned devices through an internal policy. However, a few public relations platforms in the state were still allowed to use the app for marketing purposes.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan