The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is facing calls to follow the lead of the US and EU in banning government officials from using TikTok, citing growing cybersecurity concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership.
The US and EU have already imposed restrictions on the use of the Chinese-owned social video app, citing fears that the app could allow Beijing to access user data. The European Commission recently suspended the use of TikTok on all devices issued to staff, including personal phones with official apps installed. Last year, Washington also banned federal employees from using the app on work devices.
Despite these moves, the Prime Minister is yet to bar parliamentary staff and MPs from using TikTok, which has gained popularity among UK politicians. A spokesperson for No 10 said that they are not aware of any ban on the use of TikTok by Downing Street staff.
However, several Conservative MPs have called for a ban on the use of the app by government officials. Alicia Kearns, the Chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, has urged the government to reconsider its policies and ban the app’s installation on all mobile phones used for work. Kearns warned that the UK risks becoming a tech security laggard among free and open nations.
Conservative MP Tim Loughton also urged the Prime Minister to take “concerted action” against Chinese state threats. He said that TikTok is effectively a “mega state-affiliated data harvesting organisation” that the UK should not deal with on an equivalent basis to other Western multinational companies.
The former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith also called on the Prime Minister to take immediate action against TikTok. He warned that the UK is dragging its feet in response to western security operatives’ concerns about the app’s security risk to the country.
Last year, parliament’s TikTok account was shut down after several Conservative MPs raised concerns about the app’s links to China. In a letter, Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat, and Nus Ghani claimed that “data security risks associated with the app are considerable”.
While some officials, such as former health secretary Matt Hancock, are regular users of the app, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has urged caution. He stated that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company, and users should be careful about what data they share on social media sites.
In conclusion, with increasing concerns over the security of user data on TikTok, the UK government is under pressure to prohibit its use by government officials. It remains to be seen whether the Prime Minister will follow the lead of the US and EU and impose restrictions on the use of the app by officials.