Why Governments are Banning TikTok on Officials’ Phones
TikTok Banned from Government Devices
The UK is the latest country to have taken a strong stance against TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app that rose to fame during the pandemic, over security concerns.
On Thursday, 16th March, Oliver Dowden, the Cabinet Office minister, announced that the ban on TikTok was being introduced “with immediate effect”. For now, it will apply to the work phones of ministers and civil servants; not to personal devices.
This decision follows similar policies set out in the US and EU, showcasing an increased Western distrust of TikTok.
Motivations behind the ban
The move follows a review of TikTok, by government cybersecurity experts, to assess the security risks posed by the app.
During the announcement, Oliver Dowden rationalised the ban as a way of prioritising the security of sensitive government information. He explained that “restricting the use of TikTok on Government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts”. He also added that “the use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review”.
TikTok: a Security Risk?
The main concerns relate to data collected on the app; its accessibility and storage.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company. The West is concerned about the possibility of Chinese officials forcing TikTok to hand over users’ data in the future. This may be executed under laws such as the National Intelligence Law of 2017 which states that citizens must “support, assist and cooperate” with national intelligence efforts. TikTok claims that it does not, and will never, give the Chinese government access to its users’ data. It insists data collected in Western nations never enters China. However, the company’s privacy policy clarifies that Chinese employees may access such data under certain circumstances.
To combat these concerns, TikTok has set out “Project Clover”. To protect European users’ data, the project would see the opening of two new data centres in Dublin and one in Norway. TikTok hopes that storing European data in Europe will put governments’ minds at ease.
Conclusion
It remains to be seen whether TikTok can convince Western governments that data will not be handed over to Chinese officials. Otherwise, countries like the US, UK and others may go ahead with further restrictions on the video-sharing app, ultimately including a universal ban, until the company can prove it does not undermine national security.