TikTok has said it would be “disappointed” if it were banned from UK government devices, after it was reported that ministers were to follow the lead of the US, Canada and the European Commission in blocking the social video app. .
TikTok said moves to remove it from government-issued phones were based on “misplaced fears.” The app is under pressure from its ownership by Beijing-based ByteDance, with politicians on both sides of the Atlantic warning that the Chinese state could access their data or manipulate what people see on the app through its algorithm. recommendation.
sunday times reported that the government security group, a team within the Cabinet Office, had carried out a review of TikTok, and that the National Center for Cyber Security had also identified security risks related to the app.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “While we await details of any specific concerns the UK government may have, we would be disappointed in such a move. Similar decisions elsewhere have been based on misplaced fears and seemingly driven by broader geopolitics, but we remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns.”
The report said the ban would not apply to the personal devices of ministers and civil servants, although advice would be issued to explain the risks of using the popular social video app.
Downing Street suggested that no imminent changes to its position on installing TikTok on government phones were planned.
The Prime Minister’s deputy official spokesperson said: “There are no changes… All departments have robust processes in place to ensure IT devices are secure, including third-party application risk management.”
Last week, TikTok gave more details of its plan to allay concerns from European governments about the platform’s security.
Titled Project Clover, the framework includes the storage of user data on servers in Ireland and Norway at an annual cost of €1.2bn (£1.1bn), with any data transfers outside of Europe being vetted by a third-party IT company. . The outlines of a security agreement have been discussed in the US, but the White House has not approved the deal, which includes technology company Oracle storing TikTok’s data and analyzing its source code.
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In December, the US banned TikTok on federal government devices, and Canada and the executive arm of the EU followed suit last month.
