The move is in response to growing concerns that users’ sensitive data could be accessed by the authorities in Beijing.
TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social video sharing app, will be banned from British government phones used by ministers and public servants in response to growing concerns that users’ sensitive data could be accessed by the authorities in Beijing.
UK Cabinet Office minister, Oliver Dowden, said on Thursday the move was a “precautionary” measure because of the app’s capability to collect and store huge amounts of people’s data which would potentially include sensitive government information. The UK government has become the latest to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from official government phones.
Dowden said the ban would take immediate effect for all government devices, with phones and computers also only be able to apply third-party apps from a pre-approved list, a practice already in force in some departments but which will now be extended across the entire public service. “The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” he said. “Restricting the use of TikTok on Government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cybersecurity experts.”Dowden said the ban would not extend to ministers’ and officials’ personal devices or to members of the public but said individuals should be aware of each social media platform’s data policies when considering downloading and using them.
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