The French government has announced plans to ban “recreational” apps such as TikTok, Netflix, Instagram, Candy Crush and Twitter from official devices.
The move is monitored by the French National Cyber Security Agency (ANSII) and is expected to affect around 2.5 million government officials.
Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerrini said: “These applications may therefore constitute a risk to the data protection of these government agencies and their officials.”
At the same time, the minister clarified that an exception to the rule could be introduced for the purposes of “intra-agency communications”.
The decision comes as governments around the world ban TikTok from government devices.Guerini’s statement (in French) does not specify a date for removing the app from government devices.
Read more about TikTok here: Unpacking the recent government TikTok ban
“While most organizations are eyeing TikTok, France has taken a more risk-based approach to restricting the app on official phones by banning not only TikTok, but a number of recreational apps. It’s refreshing to see them adopting it.” Advocated by KnowBe4.
Several other recreational apps also collect information from user devices, according to security experts. If not, it can still use bandwidth, take up storage space, or accidentally cross-post information.
“So from a risk perspective, it makes sense to take a holistic approach and limit non-work-critical apps and services on official phones,” Malik added.
ESET Global Cybersecurity Advisor Jake Moore agreed with Malik’s point, adding that it is likely that organizations and government agencies will continue to restrict the use of TikTok and other social media on devices.
“Data privacy has always been a sensitive issue, but now more people are starting to realize the intrusive nature of these apps,” Moore explained.
The French government’s decision to ban TikTok from government devices comes two months after France fined the social media company €5 million ($5.4 million).
Editorial image credit: Antlii / Shutterstock.com
