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Following in the footsteps of state officials, Raleigh has announced a TikTok ban on government-owned devices for its employees.
The ban will go into effect on February 14, according to city officials.
This follows growing concerns about the China-based company’s privacy and data collection practices. Officials are concerned that Chinese government officials have access to the data of millions of American app users. The CEO of the company is scheduled to testify before Congress in March.
The ban extends to the messaging app WeChat as well.
According to the letter, TikTok and WeChat will no longer be accessible from city-issued workstations, mobile devices, or other devices that use the city’s internal internet connection.
“Cybersecurity experts have identified TikTok and WeChat as high-risk apps because the software lacks sufficient privacy controls and connects to countries that have sponsored or attempted cyber-attacks against the United States,” Raleigh officials wrote in a letter to city employees. To ensure the security of City of Raleigh data and to comply with federal and local government mandates, City IT will prohibit the use of TikTok and WeChat on all City-issued computers and mobile devices.
For non-City issued mobile devices, the apps would still be accessible via guest networks.