UK Bans TikTok on Government Phones

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Facts

  • The UK on Thursday announced a ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from all government mobile phones — a policy that has already been adopted by the US and the European Commission.1
  • In explaining reasons for the ban, UK Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden cited a possible risk to government data and information being used by the app but stopped short of suggesting people stop using TikTok for personal use.2
  • The ban, which was to take effect immediately, doesn’t extend to the personal devices of government employees. Individuals may also receive exemptions for work use of TikTok on a “case-by-case basis.”3
  • ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has said in the past it has implemented several technical and bureaucratic barriers to protect US and EU user information, and it has never received a request from the Chinese government for user data.4
  • Tom Tugendhat, UK security minister, said this week he’s waiting for the results of a National Cyber Security Centre study before deciding if the country should institute a nationwide ban on TikTok.5

Sources: 1Guardian, 2Sky news, 3CNBC, 4CNN and 5Independent.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Bbc news. China and TikTok's parent company ByteDance can’t be trusted. Regardless of what they say about protecting user data from abroad, there have been several instances of Western users being tracked, in addition to examples of the Chinese government leaning on TikTok to censor posts. The UK ban is another step in the right direction toward protecting users until the PRC proves it won’t use TikTok for nefarious purposes.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global times. This TikTok ban is just another example of Grade-A xenophobia against Chinese companies. The PRC has made it clear it respects data security laws in all states and jurisdictions worldwide. Western countries are just trying to disadvantage Chinese competitors, but Chinese companies won’t be deterred, and will in fact be strengthened by these experiences.

Predictions