Baltimore to ban use of TikTok on city network and devices

Baltimore’s employees will be banned from using the social media app TikTok as a result of cybersecurity concerns surrounding the platform, which is tied to the Chinese government.

The ban, which was announced last week via a memo from the Baltimore City Information Technology Department, is being enacted due to concerns over TikTok’s harvesting of “extensive amounts of sensitive data” from users. The app — widely used to share short, catchy videos — collects user search and browsing history, keystroke patterns, location data and biometrics, including faceprints and voiceprints.

The platform’s parent company, Byte Dance, is partially owned by the Chinese government, the city memo notes, and that country’s national intelligence law requires citizens and businesses to assist in intelligence gathering.

The ban is effective Feb. 15 for the city’s network and devices, although the city is allowing employees who use TikTok for work purposes to apply for exemptions.

The Baltimore Police Department issued its own ban for employees on agency devices. It was effective Dec. 23, said spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge.

Baltimore is the latest municipality to ban the use of the platform. For instance, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, banned it this month.

Last month, then-Gov. Larry Hogan announced a ban on the platform for Maryland’s executive agencies. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also issued orders last year to ban TikTok from state government devices.