The UK government announced Thursday it’s banning TikTok on government-owned devices, following the steps of the US, Canada and the European Union Commission.
The move was announced by Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden, who told Parliament that the ban applies to work phones of government ministers and civil servants only.
The decision was taken on security grounds. Dowden said there could be a risk to how government data and information is used by the app.
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The UK government was reluctant to ban TikTok despite a warning by the US that the Chinese-owned short-form video app poses national security risks. On February 28, the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Michelle Donelan, said the app was a matter of personal choice, adding that Britain has no evidence and a ban would be very forthright.
Washington had last year banned officials from using TikTok on government devices. Congress and other states in the US have also done the same.
Last month, the U.S. government announced a decision ordering employees of federal agencies to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. The European Union Commission, Belgium and others have also temporarily banned the app from employee devices.
On Tuesday, the U.K. government asked the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to review TikTok. Security minister Tom Tugendhat said “understanding exactly what the challenges that these apps pose, what they are asking for and how they’re reaching into our lives is incredibly important,” acknowledging that the move may lead to potential ban.
TikTok has been on the radar of the US for a while due to its ties to Beijing. The short-form video app is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, which fuels concern that users’ data could be harvested by Chinese authorities for espionage, propaganda and misinformation.
The concern was amplified by former US President Donald Trump, who moved to ban TikTok’s operation in the US using executive orders. Trump also tried to force Chinese stakeholders to sell their stake to American companies such as Oracle and Walmart.
Dowen said the UK ban “is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices.” The cabinet minister added that there will be limited exemptions which “will only be granted by security teams on a case-by-case basis with ministerial clearance provided as appropriate”.
TikTok has repeatedly tried to allay the concerns. The company said it is disappointed over the decision.
“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 UK, play no part.
“We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors,” a spokesperson said.
China has been critical of the bans, accusing the US and its allies of being paranoid. A foreign ministry spokesperson on one occasion described it as an “abuse of state power”.
“How unsure of itself can the US., the world’s top superpower, be to fear a young person’s favorite app to such a degree?” she added.
On Thursday, China also accused the United States of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok following reports that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in TikTok.
Early this month, the House foreign affairs committee supported the legislation that will grant Biden’s administration new powers to ban TikTok and other apps seen as potential risk to the US national security.