The UK government said Thursday, Mar. 16, that the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok would be banned from all government and corporate-owned devices.
Another Ban
In a report by CNBC, Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden stated there could be an obvious danger surrounding how some platforms access and utilize sensitive government data. This is an assessment by Britain's cybersecurity specialists.
Dowden added that smartphone apps capture a lot of users' personal information, such as their contacts and whereabouts. Thus, the data might be sensitive on government equipment, he added.
"The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices," said the minister in a statement to the press. He promised that the usage of other data-extracting applications would be monitored.
Dowden has said that the ban on TikTok is effective immediately and called the decision precautionary.
He acknowledged that government officials' private gadgets would be exempt from the restriction. "This is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices."
Work-related exceptions for TikTok usage on government devices are being established. Security teams will only allow it on a case-by-case basis, with ministerial permission as applicable, and with security mitigations put in place, according to the government.
The minister said that only authorized third-party apps would be available to government smartphones.
TikTok's Response
A representative for TikTok expressed the company's dissatisfaction with the decision made by the UK government.
"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. We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors."
The spokesperson added that they have started implementing a thorough strategy to better secure their European user data. This includes keeping UK user data in European data centers, strengthening data access rules, and bringing in an independent third-party review of the firm's approach.
Global Scrutiny
Britain's action is in lockstep with comparable policies in the USA and EU.
At the end of February, the White House ordered federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all government-issued computers and mobile devices. Moreover, the European Commission (the EU's executive arm) has issued a nationwide ban on using TikTok across all EU institutions, both on company-issued and personal devices.
The possibility of the Chinese government gaining access to personal information about US TikTok users has been raised on many occasions by lawmakers in Washington.
To alleviate Washington's concerns, TikTok said it is collaborating with American company Oracle to keep all US data on Oracle's cloud.
TikTok is under rising global scrutiny. ByteDance was ordered to sell its stake in TikTok by the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which threatened a ban on the app inside the country. A prohibition would effectively shut off the vast American market for TikTok.
