NYC Set To Lift TikTok Ban, Reversing Adams-Era Policy

NEW YORK, NY — The City is preparing to roll back its ban on TikTok for government use, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani expected to allow some agencies and employees to resume using the platform.

Mamdani is expected to announce the change in a video posted to the city’s official mayoral TikTok account, according to people familiar with the plan.

The account has remained inactive since 2023, when former Mayor Eric Adams prohibited the app on city-issued devices.

The revised policy will permit at least some agencies to operate TikTok accounts again, marking a shift from the earlier blanket restriction.

City officials imposed the ban in August 2023, citing concerns from U.S. authorities about data security and the app’s ownership by ByteDance. Officials warned that ties between the company and the Chinese government could allow access to sensitive user data.

The policy aligned New York City with a broader national trend. Multiple states and municipalities restricted TikTok on government devices, including New York state, which enacted its own ban in 2020.

At the federal level, President Donald Trump sought to ban TikTok nationwide in 2020 over similar concerns. More recently, he has shifted his position and explored ways to keep the platform operating in the United States.

TikTok has denied sharing user data with the Chinese government and has taken steps to restructure its U.S. operations. Earlier in the year, ByteDance announced the creation of a separate American entity to manage the platform domestically, though cybersecurity experts continue to raise concerns about the company’s retained ownership stake.

Details of which agencies will regain access and what restrictions will apply have not been publicly released.