A new online report revealed that New York City has decided to ban TikTok from the city-owned devices used by BYC employees. The NYC TikTok ban adds itself to the list of cities to ban TikTok due to security concerns.
On Wednesday the short video-sharing app TikTok was banned in NYC, on government-owned devices due to security concerns, joining a number of U.S. cities to do so, as per a report.
TikTok banned in NYC
In an official statement, the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “TikTok posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks.”
Due to NYC surveillance concerns, the agencies are required to remove the application within 30 days and employees will lose access to the app and its website on city-owned devices and networks. NYC TikTok ban is already applied on state-issued mobile devices.
Currently, TikTok is used by more than 150 million Americans and is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance. China-owned TikTok backlash has been ongoing and it has faced growing calls from U.S. lawmakers for a nationwide ban over concerns about possible China government influence for TikTok ban in NYC.
As per a New York City Hall spokesperson the TikTok ban in NYC is a means to “ensure we are always using these platforms in a secure manner,” while a TikTok account for New York City Mayor Eric Adams displayed the message: “This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It’s no longer monitored.
China-owned TikTok backlash
However, as per TikTok, NYC surveillance concerns are not needed and said that it has not shared and would not even share the U.S. user data with the Chinese government. In addition, NYC TikTok ban is uncalled for and it stated that the video-sharing platform has taken substantial measures to protect the privacy and security of its users.
China influence TikTok lead to ban
Before TikTok ban in NYC, earlier in April, Montana lawmakers also passed a bill to ban the popular short-form video app TikTok from operating in the state, the latest China-owned TikTok backlash owing to the threat by the app’s existence in the U.S.
NYC TikTok ban should the bill become law, the app as well as Apple and Google, which operate mobile app stores, would face fines if they violate the ban.
A congressional committee has earlier grilled TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app.
About NYC surveillance concerns, TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said the company would not do so if asked.
The company is working on an initiative called Project Texas, which creates a standalone entity to store American user data in the U.S. on servers operated by U.S. tech company Oracle.
Key background for NYC TikTok ban
TikTok, which allows users to create and share brief videos, became one of the fastest-growing social media apps after it launched in 2016, maintaining its dominance over a crowded field of rivals such as Snapchat and Instagram. In recent years, however, companies, states and public and private universities have pushed to ban the platform over a host of concerns, including alleged China influence leading to TikTok ban in NYC and links to bullying. An October 2022 Forbes report found ByteDance had plans to monitor U.S. users’ locations through TikTok data, while an August 2022 report found that hundreds of employees at TikTok and ByteDance had previously worked at Chinese state media outlets.
