The United Kingdom announces an immediate ban on TikTok on government agencies

On Thursday, the United Kingdom announced the immediate ban of the TikTok application on government agencies, due to security concerns.
"We will ban the use of TikTok on government agencies," Minister of State Oliver Dowden, whose portfolio includes cybersecurity, told Parliament, which would be done with "immediate effect".

Critics of the app, which allows sharing short videos, which is very popular among young people, accuse the Chinese authorities of giving access to user data around the world, which TikTok denies.

The British minister said it was a "precautionary" measure, adding, "We know there is already limited use of TikTok within the government, but it is a matter of good cyber hygiene."

"Given the special risks associated with government agencies that may contain sensitive information, it is wise and appropriate to restrict the use of certain applications," especially those that access and store "a large amount of data," he added.

This approach, "based on the specific risks of government agencies", follows similar bans taken notably by the United States, Canada and the European Union, Oliver Dowden said.

On Wednesday, China urged the United States to stop "unprovoked attacks" on TikTok, after the US government asked the Chinese parent company, "ByteDance", to give up its shares in the application, or face a ban for reasons of national security.

According to the Wall Street Journal and other American newspapers, the White House has issued an ultimatum stating that if TikTok remains owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, it will be banned in the United States.

TikTok confirmed to AFP that the US government had requested that the owner of the app give it up.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the press Wednesday that Washington "has not yet presented evidence that TikTok threatens the national security of the United States."

"The United States should stop spreading false information on data security issues, stop unprovoked attacks (against TikTok) and provide an open, fair, appropriate and non-discriminatory work environment" for foreign companies, he added.