Tom Tugendhat, the minister of security, does not rule out following other governments in barring the Chinese-owned video-sharing app from work-issued mobile devices, but he says he will have more to say after reviewing the report from the center.
Tom Tugendhat, the security minister of the United Kingdom, has requested that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) investigate TikTok, as governments around the world have begun barring it from work phones.
The video-sharing app owned by the Chinese government is increasingly scrutinized by the European Union and the United States in terms of security and data privacy, with concerns that it could be used to promote pro-Beijing viewpoints or collect user data.
Concerned about potential intrusions, the EU Commission, more than fifty percent of US states, and Congress have already enacted a ban.
The British government, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will “look at what our allies are doing.
In addition, the United Kingdom’s parliament closed its account with the company after MPs raised concerns about its ties to China.
However, TikTok has responded by labeling government bans “misguided and founded on fundamental misunderstandings.”
Confirming his request for an investigation into the app, Mr. Tugendhat stated that it was “essential” to maintain the “freedom and security” of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic processes.
“It is of the utmost importance to comprehend precisely what challenges these apps pose, what they request, and how they affect our lives,” he added.
The Conservative member of parliament, who said he did not have the app “for many reasons – the primary you can probably guess”, did not rule out banning it on government phones, but said he wanted to await the NCSC’s findings before commenting further.
“Different nations have taken different approaches,” Mr. Tugendhat remarked.
“The Indian government has banned TikTok and several other apps, while the United States government has made various decisions regarding its government-issued smartphones. various companies and countries have taken different approaches.
“It is evident that for many young people, TikTok has become a news source.
“And just as we must know who owns the news sources feeding into our phones, it is essential that we know who owns the news sources in the United Kingdom.”
