Britain announced on Thursday that it would prohibit TikTok from being used on government phones with immediate effect, joining other Western countries in prohibiting the Chinese-owned video app due to security concerns.
TikTok has come under increased scrutiny as a result of concerns that user data from the app, which is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.
“Because the security of sensitive government information must come first, we have banned this app from government devices today. The use of other data-extracting apps will be monitored “Oliver Dowden, a Cabinet Office minister, issued a statement.
The British government had requested that the National Cyber Security Centre investigate the potential vulnerability of government data via social media apps, as well as the risks associated with how sensitive information could be accessed and used.
The app has already been banned from official devices in the United States, Canada, Belgium, and the European Commission.
“Restricting TikTok use on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step taken in response to advice from our cyber security experts,” Dowden said.
TikTok expressed disappointment with the decision and stated that it had already begun taking steps to protect European user data.
“We believe these bans are based on fundamental misunderstandings and are driven by larger geopolitics, in which TikTok and our millions of UK users have no role,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
According to China, the decision was made based on political considerations rather than facts.
The move “interferes with the normal operations of relevant companies in the UK and will ultimately only harm the UK’s own interests,” according to a statement from its embassy in London.
Dowden told lawmakers that government devices would no longer be able to access third-party apps unless they were on a pre-approved list.
The TikTok ban does not apply to government employees’ or ministers’ personal devices, and there would be limited exceptions where TikTok was required on government devices for work purposes, he added.
TikTok and other platforms are increasingly being used by British government departments and ministers to communicate with voters.
Grant Shapps, Minister of Energy, said the ban on government devices was reasonable, but he would continue to use the platform on his personal phone.
He posted a clip from the movie “Wolf of Wall Street” in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character says “I’m not f****** leaving”, and “The show goes on”.
Shortly before the ban was announced, the British Ministry of Defence posted a video on the platform showing how the British army was training Ukrainian forces to use the Challenger 2 battle tank.
