TIKTOK TO BE BANNED FROM BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEVICES OVER SECURITY CONCERNS

Thu 23 March 2023:

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and internet servers, the British parliament declared on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.

The action was taken a week after the UK banned the use of the app on all electronic devices used by the government.

Oliver Dowden, minister for the Cabinet Office, said to the parliament on Thursday: “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.”

TikTok requires users to give permission for the app to access 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 on the device, including contacts, user content, and geolocation data.

“The government, along with our international partners, is concerned about the way in which this data may be used,” a government statement read.

“Cyber security is a top priority for parliament,” the spokesperson added.

The United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app from official devices.

TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.

The British parliament’s ban was announced as the chief executive of TikTok was questioned by American lawmakers who believe the app should be banned because it could endanger American national security.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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