NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — New York City has officially banned the installation and use of TikTok on government-owned devices over security concerns, joining a growing number of cities and states who have implemented similar restrictions.
TikTok, the popular short-form video app, which is used by more than 150 million Americans, has faced increasing scrutiny over its Chinese parent company ByteDance’s data sharing practices with the Chinee government.
In a press conference, New York Mayor Eric Adams stated that he was in talks with Bytedance officials but said that TikTok remains a “cybersecurity risk.”
“Well, the mandate came down from me through our chief technology officer, and that includes me. I’m not above the rules and regulations that all city owned devices cannot use TikTok. We are in the process of meeting with the TikTok executives to engage in a conversation. It was a cybersecurity risk for us. And although we have been free for the most part of getting cybersecurity attacks, it is a constant threat,” Mayor Adams said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“It’s a constant threat and much of that threat is coming from outside the country of trying to infiltrate our systems and really impact our data, and we need to protect New Yorkers’ data. And the cybersecurity leader, Matt Frasier, stated that this is an issue we must resolve. The federal government made a move, we are complying with that. We are hoping TikTok can find a way to really secure and safeguard the users. And right now we didn’t feel comfortable in doing that, and I trust my chief technology officer, this was the recommendation he made,” Adams added.
The move by New York City to restrict the video sharing app follows similar moves by states such as Maryland and North Dakota, and the U.S. Government, who have banned the use of TikTok on Government-owned devices.
TikTok maintains that it keeps U.S. data in the U.S. and employs safeguards to protect data from use but its privacy statement notes that it does share its data with a “parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of our corporate group.”
In a statement to CNBC earlier this year, a spokesperson for TikTok said: We employ rigorous access controls and a strict approval process overseen by our U.S.-based leadership team, including technologies like encryption and security monitoring to safeguard sensitive user data.”
