Due to security concerns, the British government has banned its ministers from using the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on their work phones and devices.
The government fears the Chinese government could access sensitive data on official phones.
Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden stated that the ban was a “precautionary” move but would come into effect immediately. TikTok has strongly denied allegations that it hands users’ data to the Chinese government. Theo Bertram, the app’s vice president of European government relations and public policy, told the BBC that it believed the decision was based more on geopolitics than anything else.
The Chinese embassy in London has also stated that the move was motivated by politics “rather than facts”. It would “undermine the international community’s confidence in the UK’s business environment”.
The UK government has not advised the public against TikTok but urges them to consider each social media platform’s data policy before downloading and using them. The government has, however, banned ministers from using the app on their work devices.
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TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years, with 3.5 billion downloads worldwide. Its success comes from its algorithm, which is good at serving up videos that appeal to individual users, and its ease of use for recording short videos with music and fun filters. The app gathers a lot of information on users, including their age, location, device, and even their typing rhythms, while its cookies track their activity elsewhere on the internet.
The UK government is not the first to ban TikTok from official government devices. The United States barred TikTok from official devices in December 2021, and the European Commission followed suit last month. Canada, Belgium, India, and New Zealand have taken similar action.
TikTok has consistently denied sharing data with Chinese officials, but Chinese intelligence laws require firms to help the Communist Party when requested. Western social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are blocked in China.
Despite the ban, Downing Street has stated that it will continue to use TikTok to get the government’s message out. There are exemptions to the ban under some circumstances, but some politicians are reluctant to give up the TikTok habit, despite the security warnings.
