TikTok may face UK government restrictions but unlikely to be blocked from setting up London office

A review led by the prime minister’s chief of staff Eddie Lister is likely to find TikTok does not pose as big a security threat as Huawei, a source says

Executives at ByteDance’s UK operation are, however, braced for greater scrutiny from regulators and politicians

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Some members of UK Prime MInister Boris Johnson’s party have already voiced concerns about TikTok, which has rapidly emerged as a rival to Google’s video-sharing site YouTube. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 9:57am, 27 Aug 2020Updated: 9:57am, 27 Aug 2020

Boris Johnson’s top advisers may impose restrictions on TikTok’s activities in the UK, but are likely to stop short of blocking plans by the Chinese-owned social media app to set up an international headquarters in London.

A review led by the prime minister’s chief of staff Eddie Lister is likely to find the app does not pose as big a security threat as Huawei Technologies, but may still recommend the government stops the company from moving users’ data out of the country, said a person with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

The popular video-sharing app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, is battling critics concerned it could be used by Beijing to spy on foreign nationals. President Donald Trump has ordered ByteDance to sell its US arm on grounds of national security and privacy – but European politicians have so far resisted similar moves.

ByteDance has rejected claims that it is controlled by the Chinese government, or that user data is at risk. Executives at its UK operation are, however, braced for greater scrutiny from regulators and politicians.

They are particularly concerned by the comparison with Huawei simply because they are both Chinese companies, according to a person familiar with internal discussions at the company.

A spokeswoman for TikTok and a spokesman for Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre both declined to comment. A spokesperson for Johnson’s office said “ByteDance’s decision on the location of their global HQ is a commercial decision for the company.” The Department for Culture Media and Sport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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