New York City, USA, announces the rescinding of the ban on government device use of TikTok

New York City Mayor Juchulan Mamdani announced on March 31 that the city would allow the short-form video social media platform TikTok to be used again on government electronic devices. That day, Mamdani posted a message on the social media platform saying, “TikTok, we’re back.” According to the Associated Press, a memo provided by the New York City mayor’s office shows that the New York City government allows various departments to publish content on this social media platform. The policy adjustment is intended to expand the scope of information dissemination by the New York City government. The memo says, “We hope to open new channels for communication with the public and help convey the information New York residents need.” At the same time, the memo requires that official accounts operated by the various departments comply with a series of security precautions, including using dedicated devices that contain no sensitive data and assigning specific personnel to manage the accounts. Since the end of 2022, the U.S. federal government and several states have ordered a ban on TikTok on government electronic devices on the grounds of so-called “data security.” Then-serving New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a similar ban in 2023. ( Xinhua News Agency )