New York City bans TikTok app, calls it a "security threat"

New York City has slapped a ban on the TikTok app with immediate effect and declared it as a “security threat” for the nation.

TikTok banned in NYC. Know what officials are saying. (AFP)

New York City has banned the TikTok app and no official will be allowed to use it. All the government agencies' personnel will have to remove it within a period of 30 days. TikTok has been facing numerous bans over the past few years due to security reasons and one of the countries that it is banned in is India too. TikTok app has been dubbed a security threat and that has led to a ban being imposed on its use.

TikTok ban in NYC

According to The Verge report. a review was conducted by the NYC Cyber Command, and the directive was issued on Wednesday. City officials mentioned that “TikTok posed a security threat to the city's technical networks.” Officials have asked city employees not to use the app or access it through any device.

New York City Hall spokesperson said, “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.”

As per reports, on the national level, Congress was trying to ban the app nationwide for the last three years. App's owner ByteDance was accused of spying and collecting the data of American citizens.

In America, Montana become the first state to take the step to ban TikTok for the entire region in May. The app was banned when Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law. Shortly after, both TikTok users and the company launched a lawsuit against the state, arguing that it violated Montanans' free expression rights.

Notably, TikTok is one of the most poplar apps in the world and poses stiff competition to various tech majors like YouTube. The app has managed to capture the imagination of people as it has made the making of short videos, anything between 3 seconds to 10 minutes, exceptionally easy. However, its owner, ByteDance, has been facing spying accusations continuously.