UK Bans TikTok App on Government Phones Over Security Fears
The UK banned TikTok from government phones with immediate effect over security fears, the latest restriction imposed on the Chinese-owned social media app after similar moves by the US and European Union.
The decision was made after a review concluded that there “could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms,” Cabinet Office Secretary Oliver Dowden said Thursday. Dowden told the House of Commons that the ban was a “precautionary move.”
The move is a further sign that western nations are concerned about the potential risk to national security risk posed by TikTok and its Chinese parent, ByteDance Ltd. The US Congress last year restricted the app on government devices, and European Commission employees were told to delete it by March 15.
The US told Bytedance's Chinese owners to sell their shares in the parent company or risk a wider ban in the country, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
Just weeks ago the UK's Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan told Politico that the UK wouldn't follow its allies by banning TikTok, adding that usage is a “personal choice.”
A TikTok spokesman said the company was disappointed with the decision, and pointed to the government's description of the ban as “precautionary” rather than being prompted by specific evidence.
“We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok, and our millions of users in the UK, play no part,” the spokesman said. “We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors.”
‘Cyber Hygiene'
As part of the restriction, government devices will also now only
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