Wave of countries ban TikTok on government devices over security concerns
Christopher Hutton
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Many countries are taking action to remove TikTok from government devices following security concerns and growing distrust of the popular social media app.
TikTok has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers worldwide over privacy concerns and its parent company’s connection to the Chinese Communist Party. U.S. lawmakers took a first step in December when they banned it from being installed on government devices. Now other countries are falling in line and doing the same.
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While the initial bans are limited to government devices, they could signal the start of further restrictions as countries are increasingly leery of allowing TikTok unfettered access within their borders.
Here are the countries that have passed bans on installing TikTok on government devices.
New Zealand: Officials banned the installation of TikTok on devices connected to the country’s parliamentary network. Leaders said the ban was over cybersecurity concerns. “The risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,” Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said.
Canada: The U.S. neighbor banned the installation of TikTok on government devices on Monday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the decision as either a first step toward further action in the future or a final step. “I suspect that as the government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones, many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their data and perhaps make choices,” Trudeau said.
United Kingdom: U.K. officials announced on Thursday that, following a review of TikTok, the country would ban the app from government-owned devices. “The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today, we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said in a press statement.
Belgium: Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on March 10 that TikTok was banned from government phones, citing security risks with the company’s data collection and connection to the CCP. “That’s why it is logical to forbid the use of TikTok on phones provided by the federal government. The safety of our information must prevail,” De Croo concluded.
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European Union: The international entity announced on Feb. 28 that it was banning employees from installing TikTok on government devices. “In view of cybersecurity concerns, in particular regarding data protection and collection of data by third parties, the European Parliament has decided, in alignment with other institutions, to suspend, as from March 20 2023, the use of the TikTok mobile application on corporate devices,” EU officials said.
United States: Congress passed legislation in December banning the installation of the app on government devices. The legislation was passed with mostly bipartisan support. Now Congress is considering an outright ban and has submitted multiple pieces of legislation to ban the app completely. A bill from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) would ban TikTok nationally. A bill from Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) would not explicitly prohibit the app. Still, it would provide additional powers to the Commerce Department to review China-affiliated apps to determine if they are a legitimate security threat.