U.K. bans TikTok on government devices over security concerns

The ban follows a security review which looked at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps on devices.

TikTok will be banned from U.K. 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 U.K. in line with the U.S., 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.

Mr. 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 Mr. 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.

The ban follows a security review which looked at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps on devices and the risks around how sensitive information could be accessed and used by some platforms.

Beyond a “precautionary” ban on TikTok, the Cabinet Office said that given the potentially sensitive nature of information which is stored on government devices, government policy on the management of third-party applications will be strengthened.