TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei City Government announced on Tuesday (Dec. 6) that it will work with the central government to impose a public sector device ban on TikTok.

A number of U.S. states have begun to ban TikTok over security concerns, including Maryland, South Dakota, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Texas, while Indiana has launched two lawsuits against the platform. On Monday (Dec. 5), news broke that the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) has banned TikTok from public sector devices including mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

The next day, the New Taipei City Government Information Management Center said it was awaiting instructions from the central government and will cooperate in implementing the ban, reported UDN.

New Taipei City has previously drawn criticism for accepting corporate sponsorship from Chinese technology companies. In 2018, the New Taipei City Christmasland event was sponsored by Huawai and a large inflatable bear mascot in a Santa outfit was seen holding a giant Huawei logo above Banqiao Station Square.

The advertisement drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators as they argued that it "raised doubts about information security." Then-Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) responded to the criticism by asking, "Wouldn't it be faster if the National Security Council simply banned the sale of these products in Taiwan?"

FBI Director Chris Wray on Dec. 2 warned that TikTok presents national security concerns as the Chinese government could manipulate its recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.”

A MODA official on Monday was cited by Liberty Times as saying that TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin have been deemed to be "harmful products against national information security" and have therefore been banned from public sector devices.