RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Following suit with state government leaders, Raleigh has announced to its employees a TikTok ban on government-owned devices.
City officials have confirmed the ban goes into effect Feb. 14.
This comes after increasing concerns about privacy and data collection on behalf of the China-based company. Government officials are concerned Chinese government officials have access to data belonging to millions of American app users. The company’s CEO is scheduled to testify in front of Congress in March.
The ban also applies to the messaging app, WeChat.
In a letter to city employees, Raleigh officials said, “Cybersecurity experts have identified TikTok and WeChat as high-risk apps because the software lacks sufficient privacy controls and connect to countries which have sponsored or attempted cyber-attacks against the United States. To keep City of Raleigh data secure and follow federal and local government mandates, City IT will block the use of TikTok and WeChat on all City issued computers and mobile devices. “
The letter goes on to say TikTok and WeChat will not be accessible from city-issued workstations, city-issued mobile devices, or other devices that use the city’s internal internet connection.
The apps would still be accessible through guest networks for non-City issued mobile devices.
