{"id":180875,"date":"2026-03-31T14:49:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/180875\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:49:09","slug":"in-a-big-reversal-zohran-mamdani-tells-nyc-agencies-to-use-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/180875\/","title":{"rendered":"In a Big Reversal, Zohran Mamdani Tells NYC Agencies to Use TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, who rode a social media-fueled campaign<\/a> to Gracie Mansion, is reversing an Eric Adams\u2013era directive barring TikTok from government-owned devices. Local agencies will now be able to post about their projects on the app, though with new guardrails to protect city networks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mamdani administration is committed to using every tool in our toolbox to communicate with New Yorkers,\u201d says the email to agencies, obtained by WIRED. \u201cAt a moment when people are turning to city government for information about free services, emergency situations, upcoming events, and more, we want to open up new avenues of communication with the public and help deliver the information New Yorkers need.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August 2023, then-mayor Adams barred the use of TikTok on government devices, joining the ranks of other state and federal agencies that at the time deemed the app a major security risk<\/a>. Adams spokesperson Jonah Allon said then that the city\u2019s Cyber Command<\/a> office had decided that TikTok, which was owned by the Chinese-based company ByteDance, \u201cposed a security threat to the city\u2019s technical networks and directed its removal from city-owned devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

The directive resulted in a number of popular city-run accounts shutting down, including accounts for the NYC Departments of Sanitation and Parks and Recreation. As of Tuesday morning, the accounts\u2019 bios read, \u201cThis account was operated by NYC until August 2023. It\u2019s no longer monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, these TikTok accounts will be allowed to reopen with a few new rules aimed at protecting the security of NYC\u2019s networks and devices while allowing agencies to communicate with citizens on the popular app. In order to use TikTok, agencies will be required to use separate, government-issued devices for the app that \u201ccannot contain sensitive or restricted data, and they cannot be used for email, internal systems, or privileged access,\u201d according to the email to agencies. Agencies will designate specific staff from media and press offices to run the TikTok accounts with city government emails, not personal ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a fragmented media landscape, more and more people\u2014especially younger people\u2014are looking beyond the four corners of their television screen to stay informed,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement to WIRED. \u201cOur responsibility is simple: Meet people where they are. That means stepping outside our comfort zones and communicating in ways that reflect how New Yorkers actually live, work, and connect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s rule reversal comes after his November election<\/a> that relied heavily on social media to conduct voter outreach. Mamdani leveraged TikTok to recruit volunteers and amplify his policy platform. Over his first few months in office, Mamdani has continued to leverage social media platforms, publishing a variety of public-service announcements related to city-run programs.<\/p>\n

Ahead of dangerous winter weather in January, Mamdani published a video<\/a> to the official @nycmayor account on Instagram asking New Yorkers to sign up for the city\u2019s free emergency communications program, NotifyNYC. The program netted more than 32,000 new subscribers in the four days after the video was released, according to stats provided by Mamdani\u2019s office. Last year, New York City Emergency Management ran a $240,000 advertising round for NotifyNYC, acquiring around 48,000 new subscribers. Mamdani also created a handful of videos asking New Yorkers to join a Department of Sanitation snow-shoveling program. Around 5,000 people signed up, tripling the number previously enrolled in the program.<\/p>\n

The situation has also changed for the app. In January 2026, TikTok finalized a deal with the Trump administration<\/a> to form a new US-based version of the company run by American investors, including Oracle. The consortium of American investors staved off a nationwide ban of the app.<\/p>\n