The United Kingdom joins the United States and the European Parliament, banning TikTok from all government devices. The maneuver had already been announced in recent weeks, but today it is official, with the confirmation that the measure will have immediate effect.
What worries the Western world are certainly not ballets and trends, but the policy of the Chinese social network regarding the processing of personal data. ByteDancethe company that manages TikTok, is accused of exploiting user data and putting it at the service of the Chinese government. For this reason, the hugely popular social media platform is considered a danger to national security, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Not only that: even the European Parliament, for the same reasons, has already banned the app for all its employees.
TikTok banned in UK, but only on government devices
Today’s ruling bans the app from being installed on all UK government-linked devices. This means that public administration employees, who keep passwords and sensitive data on their work devices, will not be able to install the app on their work devices.
“Security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we’re banning this app on government devices,” it said in a statement. Oliver Dowden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the second highest-ranking minister in the English government. “Use of other data-mining apps will be monitored.”
The ban provides for some specific exceptions. For example, law enforcement officers or analysts who study harmful social behavior can continue to use the app. Exceptions will be granted directly by the government and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In another news we reported how TikTok could be forced to detach from ByteDance to continue operating in the United States. The risk for the Chinese app is that governments extend the ban to the entire population.