After US, UK and New Zealand Ban TikTok on Government Devices

London [UK]Mar 18 (ANI): The UK and New Zealand have become the latest Western countries to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform TikTok on “government devices”, citing security concerns, said the United States. , reported by the New York Times.

The UK on Thursday announced a ban on TikTok with immediate effect, citing security concerns related to the Chinese company’s ownership of the video-sharing app.

Speaking to parliament, Principality of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said the ban was “precautionary” despite similar measures already taken by the United States, the European Union’s enforcement agencies, Canada and India.

According to The New York Times, Dowden said social media apps collect and store vast amounts of sensitive user data, including contacts, user content and geolocation data on government devices. It is said that

Post-Covid, TikTok has caused more suspicion than most people because of its owner, the Chinese company ByteDance.

The UK’s actions echo concerns expressed across various governments in the West that TikTok could share sensitive data from devices used by politicians and officials with the Beijing government.

The ban was announced on Thursday after a tightening of policies in the UK was announced. On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said China was a “groundbreaking challenge” to the international order.

The new order, which applies only to official business calls for government officials, was described by Dowden as a proportional approach to address potential vulnerabilities in government data, The New York Times reported.

In a statement Thursday, TikTok said it was disappointed by the UK government’s decision, saying the ban imposed on it was “based on a fundamental misunderstanding and driven by wider geopolitics”. It added that it has taken steps to protect the data of UK users.

Several UK government departments have TikTok accounts as part of their public outreach, including the Ministry of Defence, and just recently Michelle Donnellan, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, said the app could help people in the UK. said to be safe for use.

“When it comes to the general public, it’s a completely personal choice, but we have the strongest data protection laws in the world and I’m confident the general public can continue to use it.” .

Earlier, the US threatened to ban TikTok from the country unless the app’s Chinese owner agreed to spin off its share of the social media platform, TikTok acknowledged Wednesday night.

In response to that message, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew said that selling the company from its Chinese owner is a move now demanded by the United States and the company has already proposed. It said it would offer no more protection than the multi-billion dollar plan. , reported by The Wall Street Journal. (Ani)