Shortly after the U.S. threatened a TikTok ban, the U.K. became the latest country to ban workers from using TikTok on government devices.
Following a cybersecurity review ordered by U.K. ministers, it became
"clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive government data
is accessed and used by certain platforms," cabinet office
minister Oliver Dowden said.
- Without naming TikTok, Dowden said apps often gather large amounts of data on users, such as their location and contacts.
- On government devices, that “data can be sensitive,” said Dowden, the U.K. government's second highest-ranked minister,
- He described the ban as “precautionary," noting that it takes effect immediately.
- The Chinese-owned social media app has faced similar bans on government devices in the U.S., EU, Canada, and India.
- In February, the White House gave all federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from government devices.
- Many U.S. states have already enacted similar restrictions, including Alabama, Utah, North Dakota, Iowa, Maryland, South Carolina, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas.
- Jurisdictions
have cited security risks and the ByteDance-owned app's harvesting of
data that could be shared with the Chinese Communist Party.
