To safeguard Britain’s security, the prime minister said he would take “whatever steps necessary.”
The UK may follow the US, Canada and the European Commission and Council of the EU in banning TikTok on government-owned devices, according to Rishi Sunak, who also promised to take “whatever steps are necessary” to safeguard British security. The UK is “looking at what our allies are doing,” the prime minister declared, in response to other nations’ removal of TikTok from government-issued smartphones due to concerns over the social video app’s ties to China.
In response to reports that UK authorities were considering banning the app from government devices earlier on Monday, TikTok stated that it would be “disappointed” if this happened.
Such actions, according to TikTok, were motivated by “misplaced fears”. With legislators on both sides of the Atlantic warning that the Chinese state may access its data or sway what users view on the app through its recommendation system, the app is under pressure due to its ownership by the Beijing-based ByteDance.
According to The Sunday Times, the Government Security Group, a division of the Cabinet Office, had reviewed TikTok and the National Cyber Security Center has highlighted security vulnerabilities associated with the app.
According to a spokesperson for TikTok, they are currently awaiting further information regarding any specific concerns that the UK government may have. However, they expressed disappointment at the possibility of such a move, citing similar decisions made elsewhere which were based on unfounded fears and geopolitical considerations. Despite this, TikTok remains dedicated to collaborating with the government in order to address any concerns that may arise.
According to the report, while advice would be issued to explain the risks associated with using the app, the ban would not extend to the personal devices of ministers and civil servants.
Downing Street had indicated that there were no plans to change their position on the installation of TikTok on government phones, just hours before the Sunak interviews were aired.
TikTok recently provided additional information regarding its efforts to address the concerns of European governments regarding the platform’s security. The framework, known as Project Clover, involves storing user data on servers located in Ireland and Norway, with a cost of €1.2bn (£1.1bn) annually. Additionally, any transfers of data outside of Europe would be monitored by a third party IT company. While the outlines of a security agreement have been agreed upon in the US, the White House has yet to approve the arrangement, which includes TikTok’s data being stored by Oracle and its source code being reviewed. In December, TikTok was banned from federal government devices in the US, and last month, Canada and the EU’s executive arm followed suit.
