The U.K. government has banned the Chinese-owned video sharing social media app TikTok from official government devices over security concerns.
The U.K. cabinet office said TikTok required users to give permission for the app to access the data stored on the device, which is then collected and stored by the company. Allowing such permissions gives the company access to a range of data, including contacts, user content, and geolocation data.
It might be the reason for TikTok banning.
It shows how quickly western trust in China and TikTok has deteriorated in recent months. The U.S. government and the European Commission have announced similar bans on the app.”This is a precautionary move. We know that there is already limited use of TikTok across government, but it is also good cyber hygiene. Given the particular risk around government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data is stored and accessed,” Dowden told M.P.s.
“The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement.
“Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts,” Dowden added.
“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 U.K., play no part. We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
A day earlier, TikTok announced that it had been requested by the U.S. government to sell its shares or suffer a possible ban.
