TikTok ban on government phones put into practice by Nassau and Suffolk municipalities
An image of the TikTok account of New York City Mayor Eric Adams that shows "This account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It's no longer monitored." Credit: Newsday
New York City this week banned government employees from downloading the popular social media app TikTok on all government devices, joining a host of municipalities throughout the nation and across the state, including on Long Island.
The administration of Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday that the video sharing platform, which has more than 150 million American users, would be removed from all city-owned devices within 30 days, citing a "security threat to the city's technical networks" posed by the video sharing platform, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
Lawmakers across the country have raised concerns about TikTok, arguing that the app is beholden to the Chinese government and that it can use data it collects to spy on Americans.
“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," Jonah Allon, an Adams spokesperson, said in a statement Thursday. “ … As part of these ongoing efforts, NYC Cyber Command determined that the TikTok application posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks and directed its removal from city-owned devices."
The city is not alone in its concerns.
In 2020, New York joined more than 30 other states by banning the use of TikTok on its mobile devices, with a small number of exceptions made for promotional or public relations accounts.
And in late-2022 the Biden administration ordered federal employees to delete TikTok from their government-issued cellphones amid concerns that its parent company could give user data to the Chinese government.
Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with the Town of North Hempstead said they've already banned the app on its government-issued devices, while the Town of Oyster Bay said they are exploring a similar restriction.
"The TikTok website and the Web app is blocked if a user tries to access it while on the county network," said Suffolk County spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he banned employees from downloading and using the app shortly after taking office last year.
“As a result of various concerns including cybersecurity concerns, on the advice of experts, I banned TikTok on all county devices," Blakeman said.
North Hempstead spokesman Gordon Tepper said: "TikTok is not allowed on any phones. Some employees, for instance my department, may have social media apps if they are posting items on behalf of the town. However, it is not commonly allowed. IT has to approve any app downloads."
Newsday on Thursday polled officials at all Long Island townships and cities about whether they've barred TikTok or plan to do so in the future.
Many localities confirmed they do not allow their employees to download any social media apps on their government devices.
“The majority of Brookhaven Town computers and devices are blocked from accessing any social media sites," said Scott Bradley, the town's IT commissioner. "The only exceptions are computers within departments, such as public information, that must be able to access social media to perform their job duties. TikTok is not permitted on any town devices.”
The Towns of Babylon, Southold and Hempstead each said that they prohibit employees from downloading software on government-issued devices that are not work related, including social media apps.
Long Beach spokesman John McNally said, although the city didn't employ a TikTok policy, "our phones are on a management system that effectively prohibits users from downloading such apps unless authorized."
Bipartisan federal legislation to completely ban TikTok in the United States has been introduced by members of Congress. The measure has run into legal roadblocks.
With AP
New York City this week banned government employees from downloading the popular social media app TikTok on all government devices, joining a host of municipalities throughout the nation and across the state, including on Long Island.
The administration of Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday that the video sharing platform, which has more than 150 million American users, would be removed from all city-owned devices within 30 days, citing a "security threat to the city's technical networks" posed by the video sharing platform, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
Lawmakers across the country have raised concerns about TikTok, arguing that the app is beholden to the Chinese government and that it can use data it collects to spy on Americans.
“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," Jonah Allon, an Adams spokesperson, said in a statement Thursday. “ … As part of these ongoing efforts, NYC Cyber Command determined that the TikTok application posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks and directed its removal from city-owned devices."
The city is not alone in its concerns.
In 2020, New York joined more than 30 other states by banning the use of TikTok on its mobile devices, with a small number of exceptions made for promotional or public relations accounts.
And in late-2022 the Biden administration ordered federal employees to delete TikTok from their government-issued cellphones amid concerns that its parent company could give user data to the Chinese government.
Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with the Town of North Hempstead said they've already banned the app on its government-issued devices, while the Town of Oyster Bay said they are exploring a similar restriction.
"The TikTok website and the Web app is blocked if a user tries to access it while on the county network," said Suffolk County spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he banned employees from downloading and using the app shortly after taking office last year.
“As a result of various concerns including cybersecurity concerns, on the advice of experts, I banned TikTok on all county devices," Blakeman said.
North Hempstead spokesman Gordon Tepper said: "TikTok is not allowed on any phones. Some employees, for instance my department, may have social media apps if they are posting items on behalf of the town. However, it is not commonly allowed. IT has to approve any app downloads."
Newsday on Thursday polled officials at all Long Island townships and cities about whether they've barred TikTok or plan to do so in the future.
Many localities confirmed they do not allow their employees to download any social media apps on their government devices.
“The majority of Brookhaven Town computers and devices are blocked from accessing any social media sites," said Scott Bradley, the town's IT commissioner. "The only exceptions are computers within departments, such as public information, that must be able to access social media to perform their job duties. TikTok is not permitted on any town devices.”
The Towns of Babylon, Southold and Hempstead each said that they prohibit employees from downloading software on government-issued devices that are not work related, including social media apps.
Long Beach spokesman John McNally said, although the city didn't employ a TikTok policy, "our phones are on a management system that effectively prohibits users from downloading such apps unless authorized."
Bipartisan federal legislation to completely ban TikTok in the United States has been introduced by members of Congress. The measure has run into legal roadblocks.
With AP
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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