TikTok has been banned from the work phones of people who work for the Welsh Government. It comes after the UK Government announced it was doing the same earlier on Thursday.
The decision has been made after a review by the National Cyber Security Centre failed to rule out that sensitive data held on official phones could be accessed by the Chinese government through Chinese-owned TikTok.
The move has been called “precautionary” by government officials, and the Welsh Government confirmed on Thursday afternoon that it will be “implementing fully” the TikTok ban. It said it was still reviewing its own use of the Welsh Government TikTok account.
In a short statement a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "We welcome today’s guidance from the Cabinet Office in relation to TikTok and will be implementing it fully.”
A statement from the UK Government Cabinet Office reads: “"Given the potentially sensitive nature of information which is stored on government devices, government policy on the management of third party applications will be strengthened and a precautionary ban on TikTok on government devices is being introduced."
The Senedd currently has no plans to restrict TikTok on work devices but says it is continually monitoring and updating its cyber security systems.
TikTok has boomed in recent years with 3.5 billion downloads worldwide. Its addictive nature is born out of its ability to assess what users are interested in, gather data on them, and show them short videos which will gain their attention.
In a statement TikTok said the decision was based on "fundamental misconceptions". "We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors," a spokesman added.
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