The British government has banned the use of the Chinese social media app TikTok from government-issued phones, further escalating tensions between Beijing and London. Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said the app would be banned with “immediate effect” from government phones in ministerial and non-ministerial departments. The order also prohibits government workers from downloading apps that are not preapproved on devices issued to them. The ban would not apply to personal devices of government staff, nor to the general public, he said. “This is a precautionary move,” Dowden said. “We know there is already limited use of TikTok across government, but it is good cyber hygiene.” “Given the particular risk around government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed,” he added. The ban comes just days after Security Minister Tom Tugendhat confirmed he had asked Britain’s National Security Cyber Centre to investigate the app , which is owned by China’s ByteDance , and follows similar moves by the United States and the European Union . The social media app has more than 1 billion active users globally. A Chinese embassy spokesperson accused the UK government of acting “based on its political motive rather than facts”. TikTok said it was “disappointed” with the decision and said bans were based on “fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics”. Dowden said the government would put in limited exemptions for the use of TikTok by government staff where it is required for “operational reasons” and will only be granted by security teams on a case-by-case basis. The British parliament closed down its TikTok account in August after MPs raised concerns about the app’s links to China. The European Commission and Council both outlawed staff from using the social media app in February, saying the ban was a “temporary measure” and would be “constantly under review”. Government workers had until Wednesday to remove the app from their work phones. TikTok previously admitted that its European users’ data was accessible outside the bloc, including in China. However, the company has sought to reassure users and authorities that personal data and content cannot be accessed or manipulated by the Chinese government. Minister says UK conducting ‘important’ probe into TikTok’s ownership Separately, US President Joe Biden’s administration has told TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest their stake or face a possible use ban nationwide. TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter responded to the White House move by saying that “a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access”. “The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting and verification, which we are already implementing,” she added. Earlier this month, the White House announced that federal agencies had 30 days to remove the app from employee phones, following earlier bans for Congressional and White House staff and members of the armed forces. Canada and Denmark also have sought to remove the app from government-issued devices. The UK ban of TikTok from government phones comes just days after the results of Britain’s latest refresh of its defence and diplomatic strategy, which included a major focus on China. As part of the review, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government said it was seeking to take a more nuanced approach to its relations with China despite a vocal group of backbenchers in his Conservative Party calling for the government to label China a direct threat. “China poses an epoch-defining challenge to the type of international order we want to see, both in terms of security and values – and so our approach must evolve,” Sunak said in a foreword to the integrated review on Monday. “We will work with our partners to engage with Beijing on issues such as climate change,” he said. “But where there are attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to coerce or create dependencies, we will work closely with others to push back against them.” TikTok influences a billion users, but who influences TikTok? The same day the review was released, Sunak appeared with Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego, California, at an event announcing a plan to develop nuclear-powered submarines together as part of the Aukus military alliance, which has stoked Beijing’s ire. The review said that the Chinese Communist Party’s policies provide a “systemic challenge with implications for almost every area of government policy and the everyday lives of British people”. “The UK does not accept that China’s relationship with the UK or its impact on the international system are set on a predetermined course,” the review said. “Our preference is for better cooperation and understanding, and predictability and stability for global public good,” it said. “But we believe that this will depend on the choices China makes, and will be made harder if trends towards greater authoritarianism and assertiveness overseas continue.” Additional reporting by dpa
