The security minister has not ruled out the possibility of banning TikTok in the UK after concerns were raised over its relation to China.
Tom Tugendhat confirmed that he is waiting for a review from the National Cyber Security Centre before passing a decision on the "hugely important question". Rishi Sunak previously hinted that Britain could ban the social media app from government phones and devices - a similar move was taken by the US and the EU.
The Prime Minister said Britain will "look at what our allies are doing" after Washington and the European Commission banned TikTok on staff phones. Mr Tugendhat was asked if he would take it a step further ad implement a full ban on the app like those seen in India.
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Speaking to Times Radio, he said: "I don’t have it, and the Prime Minister asked me to defend the leading democracy taskforce a little while ago, and as part of that we’re looking at the various threats to parliamentarians but also to journalists. Looking at the various different apps people have on their phones and the implications for them is a hugely important question and I’ve asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look into this.”
However, when pressed about whether this could result in a full ban on the app, he said: "It will be addressed with the challenges we face, with the threats we face. I’m not going to give you an answer until I know what the risks are.”
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On Sky News, he said: “What certainly is clear is for many young people TikTok is now a news source and, just as it’s quite right we know who owns the news sources in the UK… it’s important we know who owns the news sources that are feeding into our phones.”
Despite the security concerns, TikTok has consistently argued that it does not share user data with China. However, Chinese Intelligence legislation requires firms to assist the government whenever requested.
Some critics have feared that this could expose Western data to Beijing. Last year, Parliament shut down its TikTok account after MPs raised concerns about the company's links to China.
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