New York City Bans TikTok On Government Devices

Popular Chinese social media app TikTok is facing more problems in the United States over national security concerns.

Reuters reported that New York City on Wednesday banned TikTok on government-owned devices, citing security concerns.

TikTok has already been banned on government devices in 34 out of 50 US states, as well as the entire US federal government, over concerns data collected by the app could be accessed by Chinese authorities. Some lawmakers are seeking a nationwide ban.

New York State

Montana in May became the first US state to pass a ban on TikTok that prevents app stores from distributing the app in the state, starting on 1 January, 2024.

Shortly after the Montana ban, TikTok (owned by Beijing-based ByteDance), filed a lawsuit against Montana.

Montana is also being sued in federal court by five Montana TikTok users, who are seeking to block the ban.

Now Reuters has reported that on Wednesday New York City banned TikTok on government-owned devices.

TikTok “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks,” the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying in a statement.

New York City agencies are required to remove the app within 30 days and employees will lose access to the app and its website on city-owned devices and networks.

New York State had already banned TikTok on state-issued mobile devices.

Nearly half want ban

And TikTok seems to be losing popular support, despite it being used by more than 150 million Americans.

A new Reuters/Ipsos survey found that close to half of American adults support a ban on TikTok.

Some 47 percent of respondents to the two-day poll, which concluded on Tuesday, said they at least somewhat supported “banning the social media application, TikTok, from use in the United States,” while 36 percent opposed a ban and 17 percent said they didn’t know.

Fifty-eight percent of Republicans favoured a ban, compared to 47 percent of Democrats, the poll showed.