UK bans TikTok on government devices over security concerns

The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices, said Dowden.The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review. Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts, he said.

TikTok will be banned from UK government phones amid security concerns around the Chinese-owned social media video app, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden announced in Parliament on Thursday.

The ban brings the UK in line with the US, Canada and the European Union (EU) and also India – which banned TikTok entirely from the country, even as the company strongly denies sharing user data with the Chinese government.

Dowden told MPs that there ''could be” a risk to how government data and information is used by the app. “The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices,” said Dowden.

“The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review. Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts,” he said.