TikTok banned from UK government phones
TikTok will be banned from UK government phones amid security concerns around the Chinese-owned video app, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden has announced.
In a statement to parliament, Mr Dowden said there “could” be a risk to how government data and information is used by the app.
He said that that while TikTok use is “limited”, banning it is good cyber “hygiene” – and brings the UK in line with the US, Canada and the EU.
Labour accused the government of being “once again behind the curve with sticking plaster solutions, forced to U-turn at the last minute”.
TikTok has been under increasing scrutiny over its security and data privacy, with concerns it could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or gather user data – something TikTok strongly denies.
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The EU Commission and more than half of US states and Congress have already introduced a ban over concerns around potential cyber attacks.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously hinted at following suit, saying the UK will “look at what our allies are doing”.
Earlier this week, security minister Tom Tugendhat told Sky News he had asked the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to look into the app as it was “absolutely essential” to keep the UK’s “diplomatic processes free and safe”.
The UK’s parliament shut down its own account last year after MPs raised concerns about the firm’s links to China.
But TikTok has called government bans “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions”.
Responding to Mr Tugendhat’s remarks last week, a spokesman for the app said the company would be “disappointed” if the UK government banned it.
They added: “Similar decisions elsewhere have been based on misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics, but we remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns.”