The UK government has announced the ban on the Chinese app TikTok
Chinese-owned social media application TikTok will be banned on mobiles and other devices used by government ministers and civil servants on security bases.
Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden will make a report to MPs subsequently.
TikTok to be banned in the country says UK government:
There has been no official statement – but Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has requested the National Cyber Security Centre to check the issue.
TikTok has vehemently refused allegations that it hands users’ data to the Chinese government.
Senior MPs have pressured the country to go on the steps of the United States and the European Commission in barring the app.
The US banned TikTok from official mobiles in December, and the Commission followed suit the prior month.
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Canada and Belgium have taken the similar measure. China has blamed the US for spreading disinformation and stopping TikTok amid reports the White House wants its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the company.
Before this week, the prime minister told the UK would “look at what our allies are doing.”
TikTok said prohibitions had been based on “misplaced worries and clearly driven by wider geopolitics”, adding it would be “unhappy by such a move” in the UK.
It has said it does not share details with Chinese officials, but Chinese intelligence rules need firms to help the Communist Party when asked.
Critics worry the policy could reveal data on devices used by political leaders and officials in Beijing.
