New York City just banned TikTok on government devices. Here's why
New York City workers and agencies have 30 days to delete TikTok from city-owned devices, following a review from the New York City Cyber Command. A city official from the Cyber Command said TikTok could be a serious threat to New York City's technical infrastructure.
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An NYC City Hall spokesperson told The Verge, "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."
City officials justified their decision by referencing the ban of TikTok on government devices at the federal level. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation banning TikTok from federal employees' and contractors' devices.
Other countries have also banned TikTok on federal employees' government-owned devices, citing that the app poses a cybersecurity risk. Because TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, some governments are worried TikTok's data-gathering procedures could put federal employees' personal information at risk.
In March, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in front of Congress that the Chinese government cannot and has not accessed US user data collected by TikTok. Chew also presented a plan to US congresspeople called Project Texas, that would place TikTok's US user data in a US company's hands.
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Project Texas was TikTok's answer to the growing concern the US government has surrounding TikTok's possession of US user data. But not much is known about the project's progress, and in May, Bloomberg reported that the initiative was in limbo.