New York City on Wednesday banned TikTok on government-owned devices, citing security concerns, joining a number of US cities and states that have put such restrictions on the short video sharing app.
TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans and is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has faced growing calls from US lawmakers for a nationwide ban over concerns about possible Chinese government influence.
TikTok “posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks,” the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams said 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.
TikTok said it “has not shared, and would not share, US user data with the Chinese government, and has taken substantial measures to protect the privacy and security of TikTok users.”
Original Story by www.sowetanlive.co.za