New York City is joining a wave of federal agencies and states across the U.S. in banning TikTok from government-owned units, citing safety concerns that could probably be related to the app.
In an announcement despatched Thursday to NPR, a New York City Hall spokesperson said that companies must take away the popular short-form video-sharing app from all authorities devices throughout the subsequent 30 days.
City employees will begin to lose access to the TikTok app and its web site from all city-owned units and networks.
“While social media is nice at connecting New Yorkers with one another and the town, we now have to ensure we’re always using these platforms in a secure manner,” a spokesperson said within the statement.
The spokesperson told NPR that the city’s Cyber Command — the workplace tasked with defending New York City’s systems in opposition to cyber threats — frequently investigates and takes proactive measures to keep New Yorkers’ data protected and in consequence, decided that TikTok posed a security threat to town’s technical networks.
TikTok didn’t immediately reply to NPR’s request for comment on the New York City ban.
Following news of the ban, New York City government accounts on TikTok have since ceased their postings.
The metropolis’s sanitation division account — which has more than 47,000 followers — stated in its bio that the account “was operated by NYC till August 2023” and that it is “now not monitored.” The New York City Police Department’s account, which has greater than 267,000 followers, also stated it was now not energetic as of Thursday.
“Due to a policy change, this account is not lively. Please comply with us on our other social media accounts,” the agency wrote in its latest and last post.
New York City joins an extended list of places and governing bodies in banning the app throughout government-owned devices.
In May, Montana grew to become the primary state to ban the popular social media app after the state’s governor, Greg Gianforte, signed a bill saying he wished to guard residents’ personal data from being compromised.
“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privateness, and acquire their private, personal, and sensitive data is well-documented,” Gianforte mentioned.
Montana’s ban will go into impact beginning Jan. 1, 2024.
In December 2022, Maryland also banned the utilization of TikTok and sure China and Russia-based platforms in the state’s govt department — as former Gov. Larry Hogan introduced a directive to prohibit the platforms’ use.
Countries corresponding to New Zealand and Canada took preventative measures in banning TikTok from some government gadgets earlier this yr, citing privateness and knowledge considerations for those who may use the app.
While there isn’t any direct proof that the Chinese authorities has ever accessed TikTok consumer knowledge, TikTok says that it’s impartial of China and that any person data from the app in the us stays protected.
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