NYC Bans TikTok on City-Owned Devices (theverge.com) 22
New York City is banning TikTok from city-owned devices and requiring agencies to remove the app within the next 30 days. From a report: The directive issued Wednesday comes after a review by the NYC Cyber Command, which a city official said found that TikTok "posed a security threat to the city's technical networks." Starting immediately, city employees are barred from downloading or using the app and accessing TikTok's website from any city-owned devices.
"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," a New York City Hall spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge Wednesday. "NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers' data safe." The city cited US Office of Management and Budget guidelines discouraging TikTok's use on government devices as well as federal legislation banning the app that was passed earlier this year.
"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," a New York City Hall spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge Wednesday. "NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers' data safe." The city cited US Office of Management and Budget guidelines discouraging TikTok's use on government devices as well as federal legislation banning the app that was passed earlier this year.
"X" Should be banned, as well (Score:3)
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Getting real here: These are work devices. All non work related apps should be banned.
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Take all the social networking apps off of the government devices.
The problem being that virtually every government, from small counties all the way up to the Federal Government, have X/Twitter accounts and use them frequently for official public communications.
Re: "X" Should be banned, as well (Score:4, Informative)
Not every employee needs access to those apps, and the ones that don't should not have them.
This is literally how it works in most government offices.
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Not every employee needs access to those apps, and the ones that don't should not have them.
This is literally how it works in most government offices.
Not every employee needs access to those apps, and the ones that don't should not have them.
This is literally how it works in most offices.
Fixed that for you. Most AUPs these days and for several years have prohibited the use of social media on company equipment, at varying degrees of strictness. For the last decade I've kept any personal social media off work devices.
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NO THEY DONT.
In virtually every large business, public communications are monitored and controlled. No employee should have ANY of these applications on the GOVERNMENT device. They dont need to tweet, or whatever.
The Communications people who do that for a living, have software that they use to send out communications to multiple social media accounts, manage feedback and responses, and tracks everything, allowing for approvals, etc.
There is zero reason for any government employee to have social media on th
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Non-problem because most government employees aren't allowed to issue public communications.
Never have I... (Score:2)
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However if they ever lose their job, they're going to have a hard time getting another job with no way to be contacted.
Re: Never have I... (Score:5, Insightful)
Those people are idiots. A lawsuit against the entity they work for can result in those devices being collected as evidence. It's the same reason you do NOT use your personal device for ANY work purpose, ESPECIALLY when government is involved.
Hell, I took a CERT course and they specifically cautioned us not to use our personal devices for note taking or even to take photos if we are activated, because then those devices are themselves evidence. That's not even work, it's just volunteering.
Never ever use your own device to do anything government related except in a typical customer role (like filing taxes, or applying for benefits.) But also never ever depend on a government issued device for anything not explicitly required by government. It is a bad and stupid plan.
Re: Never have I... (Score:4, Insightful)
Not just that but some applications like Microsoft's will actually grant your job's IT team near root level access to your personal device just for having the account connected, exactly as if it was a work device.
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Not just that but some applications like Microsoft's will actually grant your job's IT team near root level access to your personal device just for having the account connected, exactly as if it was a work device.
Often for reporting, security and regulatory compliance. Picture dealing with security classified documents (I.E. Secret, Top Secret or even Commercial in Confidence).
This is one of the reasons you should not be linking your work accounts to personal devices for anything greater than MFA. Also, it means you don't answer emails or messages after work. If they need me after hours they can call and explain why. Keep your personal shit personal and work shit at work. A point of demarcation between the two wi
the implication... (Score:2)
I think the real story is this means they are explicitly allowing Facebook, Twitter and other social media apps on city owned devices?
Before this they could have shrugged it off and said they have no policy or they haven't gotten around to it. But by banning TikTok and not the others it's like they're officially allowing the others.
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Government employees have no business communicating or sharing about their work to the public, unless it’s their specific job. They shouldn’t have anything except government or work-related apps on their government device.
Back in 2020 (Score:2)
a certain orange guy had the same concerns, except for the entire population and not just for a small subset of users. And everyone told he was a dictator.
As much trouble he caused with his actions, some of his actions are being maintained, reconsidered and repeated by the opposition party. So hard to say he was fully wrong at everything he did - in fact, being proved right.
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Government owned, no social media (Score:2)
A government-owned device, with certain exceptions, should not be used for personal-use apps.
You can install [inset program name here] on a PERSONAL device, but the government-owned-and-issued device should only have government-approved software on it.
What are those "certain exceptions"? If the government agency has a "presence" on [insert service name here], official representatives of the agency should have access on their particular government-owned devices. But employee X should not.
Stop CS-AM (Score:2)
But TikTok needs to inspect your phones to find kiddie porn: Won't somebody please think of the children?
The UK plans to inspect phones too, so the UK can't complain when TikTok does it.