TikTok to be banned on UK government phones

Chinese-owned social media app TikTok is set to be banned on phones and other devices used by government ministers and civil servants on security grounds.

Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden will make a statement to MPs later.

There has been no official comment – but Security Minister Tom Tugendhat had asked the National Cyber Security Centre to review the issue.

TikTok has strongly denied allegations that it hands users’ data to the Chinese government.

The government has come under pressure from senior MPs to follow the United States and the European Commission in banning the app.

The US banned TikTok from official devices in December, and the Commission followed suit last month.

Canada and Belgium have taken similar action.

Earlier this week, the prime minister said the UK would “look at what our allies are doing”,

TikTok said bans had been based on “misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics”, adding it would be “disappointed by such a move” in the UK.

It has said it does not share data with Chinese officials, but Chinese intelligence laws requires firms to help the Communist Party when requested.

Critics fear the policy could expose data on devises used by political leaders and officials to Beijing.

The UK Parliament closed its TikTok account last August. The Downing Street TikTok page has not been updated since Boris Johnson left office in September last year but others, including Energy Secretary Grant Shapps, have updated their pages more recently.

On Wednesday, Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, who also has a TikTok account, told MPs the public could go on using the app.

She said: “It is absolutely a personal choice. But because we have the strongest data protection laws in the world, we are confident that the public can continue to use it.”

TikTok hosts short-form videos submitted by its users. In 2022, it became the world’s most downloaded app.