UK bans TikTok on official devices

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The UK government will ban TikTok on official devices.

A review by the National Cyber ​​​​​​Security Center will indicate that the app is owned by Chinese should be banned. government phones, the Press Association reported.

This follows similar moves in the United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app.

Other countries like India have blocked the app entirely. Tom Tugendhat, Britain's security minister, previously said the government had not ruled out a full ban.

The US has also said it could ban the app altogether if the TikTok's Chinese parent company, Bytedance, did. not sell it.

The UK has come under pressure to follow these other countries and announce its own restrictions on the app, at least on government devices.

The Minister Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden to announce details of the new ban in the Commons on Thursday, PA reported.

The UK and other countries have said Chinese ownership from TikTok is concerning and have highlighted security and privacy concerns about the app.

Critics say there is a possibility that user data could be transferred to the Chinese government, via Bytedance. This could endanger Western security, the governments argued.

TikTok said the bans were based on "misplaced fears and apparently driven by broader geopolitics", saying it would be "disappointed by such a decision" in the UK. He strongly denied making user data available to the Chinese government.

The UK was previously relatively free when it came to using TikTok. Some ministers, such as Grant Shapps and Technology Minister Michelle Donelan, actively post on the platform.