The United Kingdom says it will ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move that follows other countries who have barred the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns.
TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining the security interests of other countries.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has been reviewing whether TikTok should be barred from government phones while the United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app.
Cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden told parliament government devices would only be able to access third party apps from a pre-approved list.
“We are also going to ban the use of TikTok on government devices, we will do so with immediate effect,” he said.
The ban does not include personal devices and there would be limited exemptions where TikTok is required on government devices for operational reasons, Dowden added.
“This is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices.”
TikTok said it was disappointed with the government’s decision,
“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,” a spokesman for the app said.
Growing list of countries make TikTok move
The Biden administration has demanded TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible United States ban, the company has told Reuters.
The move follows the introduction of a new US legislation that would allow the White House to ban TikTok or other foreign-based technologies if they pose a national security risk.
Other countries and entities have also elected to ban the app.
TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up.
Numerous countries have raised concerns over its proximity to the Chinese government and its hold on user data across the world.
Here is a list of countries and entities that have implemented a partial or complete ban on TikTok:
* INDIA
Banned TikTok and dozens of other apps by Chinese developers on all devices in June 2020, claiming that they were potentially harmful to the country’s security and integrity.
* AFGHANISTAN
Is in talks to ban TikTok and video game PUBG, with the Taliban claiming those were leading Afghan youths “astray.”
* PAKISTAN
Banned TikTok at least four times, with the latest ban ending in November, over what the government said was immoral and indecent content on the app.
* BELGIUM
Belgian federal government employees will no longer be allowed to use TikTokon their work phones, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on March 10.
* CANADA
The nation has banned TikTok on government-issued devices due to security risks.
* TAIWAN
Banned TikTok and some other Chinese apps on state-owned devices and in December 2022 launched a probe into the social media app over suspected illegal operations on the island
* UNITED STATES
The U.S. government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, in 2020 unanimously recommended ByteDance divest TikTok because of fears that user data could be passed on to China’s government.
In early March, legislators from both major U.S. parties introduced a bill to ban the popular app in the United States.
Congress previously passed a bill in December 2022 to ban TikTok on federal devices.
* US EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Boise State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas-Austin, and West Texas A&M University are some of the schools to ban TikTok on university devices and Wi-Fi networks.
* US STATES
Texas, Maryland, Alabama and Utah are among over 25 states that have issued orders to staff against using TikTok on government devices.
* EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, has issued an order to ban the use of popular Chinese app TikTok on its staff’s phones due to cybersecurity concerns.
Separately, the European Parliament also banned the app from staff phones.
— with AP
