New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration on Wednesday banned TikTok from all government devices, and ordered all city employees to delete the app from their work phones within 30 days out of fear of Chinese espionage.
The NYC Cyber Command found that the short-form video-sharing site poses “a security threat to the city’s technical networks,” resulting in a directive outlaw of TikTok app and website on government-issued cell phones, computers and other internet-capable gadgets.
“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 City Hall spokesperson told NBC.
“NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers’ data safe.”
The ban was months in the making, with rumors that it would be a state-wide bar after national security experts warned that data posted on the platform could end up in the hands of the Communist Party as TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a China-based tech company that allegedly “maintains supreme access” to all data held by the TikTok parent.
Adams was active on his own verified TikTok account until last month when he shared a video of a young girl and her dog informing New Yorkers to make sure they give their furry friends lots of water during the city’s hot summers.
As of Wednesday, the mayor’s TikTok page — which boasts nearly 12,000 followers — says: “This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It’s no longer monitored.”
Representatives for the NYC Cyber Command and Mayor Adams did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
NYC’s TikTok ban is lawful under President Joe Biden administration’s No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which allows federal agencies to prohibit government workers from accessing the social media site “or any successor application or service…developed or provided by ByteDance” on their work-issued gadgets.
The Post has also sought comment from TikTok.
Earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew — who has repeatedly downplayed the company’s connection to the Chinese government — denied that the Chinese Communist Party could access US user data.
Critics have alleged that China can use the platform to snoop on the more than 150 million users in the US.
US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have long contemplated how to protect Americans from concerns that the Chinese government could improperly access the data of American users.
Before the Biden administration reportedly warned ByteDance executives that TikTok would be banned unless the China-based parent sold its stakes, President Donald Trump was trying to outlaw the app back in 2020.
China has fired back, stating that it would “firmly oppose” any forced sale.
In May, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed legislation to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state as of Jan. 1, 2024, making it the first statewide ban of the popular video-sharing app.
At the time, Gianforte called the move “the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok has since filed a lawsuit to get the ban overturned, arguing that barring the platform from Montana residents’ internet-accessible devices violates the First Amendment rights of the company and users.
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