The UK is also going to ban TikTok on the phones and other devices of ministers and government officials. The country follows the United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Union. The ban goes into effect immediately.
The government fears that data will end up with the Chinese government through the app, which is largely owned by the Chinese company Bytedance. Earlier it turned out that some employees of the tech company have access to user data from the west. The British government considers the risks so great that a ban has been introduced. TikTok has always denied that the Chinese authorities can access user data.
TikTok is disappointed with the UK government’s decision. The company says it is becoming part of major geopolitical tensions that the app and its millions of users in the UK have nothing to do with.
In the end, there will be a list of apps that can be downloaded on government devices, says British minister Dowden. The ban, by the way, does not apply to the private phones and other devices of officials or to government equipment for which TikTok is of interest. Last year, the UK government already discontinued a TikTok account due to concerns among officials.
This morning, the US government warned that the app will be completely banned in the US if the Chinese Bytedance does not get rid of its shares in TikTok. In the US, there is a great concern about national security in the event that users ‘ data does indeed end up with the Chinese government.
