Mayor Mamdani announces return of TikTok app for NYC government

Nearly three years ago, New York City joined governments across the country in banning TikTok from its phones due to security concerns surrounding the Chinese social media site.

On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a true social media star, took to the app to announce a reversal: “TikTok, we are back.”

The city will now allow agencies to resume posting on the short-form social media site provided departments follow a set of security precautions, according to a memo from city cybersecurity officials provided Tuesday by the mayor’s office.

The ban was established by Eric Adams, Mamdani’s predecessor, in 2023, as the federal government and many US states restricted the app from government-owned devices over concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, could share data with the Chinese government.

TikTok had dismissed government concerns as unfounded. At the time, New York City officials said the app posed a threat to the security of the city’s technical networks.

In a memo released Tuesday, NYC Cyber ​​Command, responsible for protecting the city’s systems from cyber threats, wrote that the change was intended to expand the reach of the city’s communications.

“The Mamdani Administration is committed to using every tool in its toolbox to communicate with New Yorkers,” NYC Cyber ​​Command wrote. “As people turn to the city for information about free services, emergencies, upcoming events and more, we want to open new lines of communication with the public and help provide the information New Yorkers need. »

Security rules: Agencies must dedicate separate devices solely to using TikTok, and those devices cannot contain sensitive data and cannot be used for email or other internal systems; TikTok accounts must be created using agency credentials, rather than a person’s email address; departments must designate specific staff members who will use TikTok.

TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.

Mamdani, 34, has been prolific as a candidate and mayor, with his rise to political stardom aided by sharp and informative social media videos that spread like wildfire online.

The New York mayor’s official TikTok account, dormant since the ban took effect, now shows a small handful of new messages.

A video shows Mamdani calling townspeople to remind them of his so-called rent gouging hearings, during which residents can voice their grievances about poor living conditions in their buildings. Another post shows Mamdani alongside WNBA New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud to announce a bracket-style contest in which residents can vote for the mayor to fix a small municipal problem in their neighborhood, like a broken basketball rim.