The UK parliament has reportedly gone a step further by not allowing users to access social networking apps from the network, following government lead in banning the use of TikTok from official devices. .
This news follows similar decisions by the governments of the United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission.
“Following the government’s decision to ban TikTok from government devices, committees in both the House and Senate have decided that TikTok will be blocked from all congressional devices and the wider congressional network.” A spokesman for Congress reportedly said.
“Cybersecurity is Congress’ top priority. However, we do not comment on cyber or physical security controls, policies, or specific details of incidents.”
However, members can continue to access social media apps on their personal devices using mobile internet connectivity in the House of Commons and House of Lords.
For more information, see TikTok: Excessive data collection by TikTok.
A TikTok spokesperson reportedly described the decision as “misguided and based on a fundamental misunderstanding about the company.”
Another blow to the app’s reputation came this week when CEO Shou Zi Chew was dragged before a congressional committee and confronted by US lawmakers.
Two main issues lie at the heart of their concerns. Data collected by the app may eventually be accessed by the Chinese government.Beijing exercised undue influence over TikTok’s algorithm to in fact propaganda tool.
Ofcom last year claimed the app was the UK’s fastest growing adult news source.
“TikTok is trying to allay data security concerns by storing UK user data in European data centers and tightening data access controls.
But last November, TikTok confirmed that Chinese staff could access European users’ data for certain purposes.
The company has also received attention from regulators. In September last year, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined TikTok £27 million ($33 million) for violating data protection laws, including by processing the data of children under the age of 13 without “appropriate” parental consent. ) announced its intention to impose a fine.
Editorial image credit: Ascannio / Shutterstock.com
