The United Kingdom will join a growing list of countries that have banned TikTok from mobile phones used by members and government officials, such as the United States, Canada, Belgium or the Netherlands.
The move, announced by Oliver Dowden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (who has the same role as chief minister in the Council of Ministers), was prompted by concerns about potential threats to the security of government data. Chinese usage. This is good digital “health,” he explained.
The decision follows a security analysis requested by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office into vulnerabilities where government data was exposed on devices installed on social networks.
“Considering the sensitive nature of information stored on government devices, the state policy to manage third-party apps will be strengthened and a ban on TikTok on government devices will be imposed,” a statement released by officials said.
Once it’s installed, TikTok asks users to authenticate Processor To access the data stored on the device, it is collected and stored by the company – in this case, the Bite Dance,The Chinese tech giant that owns TikTok. Such information includes, For example, Telephone contacts or geolocation data.
“Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step, following the advice of our cybersecurity experts,” Oliver Dowden reinforced this Thursday.
TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing its users’ data with Beijing authorities amid accusations of aiding Chinese espionage. The company, which sees its products as an entertainment service and not a social network, has reiterated that it has independent management from the Chinese regime, saying it is the victim of a geopolitical conflict. Other digital platforms are covered.
In late February, referring to a law passed by the United States Congress last December banning TikTok on government devices, Brooke Oberwetter, a spokeswoman for the company in the United States, said the law was changed “without any weight.” , “unfortunately”, this approach served as a “model for other governments”. “These sanctions are little more than political drama,” he said.
After the US, the European Commission also banned TikTok for its employees, citing the need for “security” of the company.
North Americans are TikTok’s largest audience, but worldwide, it’s estimated Processor It has more than 1.5 billion users. In the UK alone, the platform has over 23 million monthly active users.
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