TikTok is prohibited by the UK Parliament because to security concerns
According to reports from BBC, the Parliament of the United Kingdom has banned the use of the video-sharing app TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese government, from its network due to privacy and cybersecurity concerns. A spokesperson for Downing Street told the media that the app, which is utilised by a number of members of the British Parliament, will also be prohibited on devices that are provided to staff members by the government.
It is important to note that because of the ban, members of parliament as well as visitors to the Parliament will not be able to use devices that are connected to the official Wi-Fi connections to access TikTok. Instead, in order for customers to access the app on their phones, they will be required to connect to the data network provided by their own mobile data provider.
In the meantime, on Thursday, the Scottish government also made the announcement that it would follow the example set by the Welsh government and prohibit the app from being installed on devices that are provided by the government.
TikTok has been accused of stealing the data of its users.
The incredibly popular app TikTok is said to collect a significant amount of information about its users, such as their ages, locations, devices, and even their patterns of typing, according to a number of reports. In addition to this, its cookies track user activity across the web, including on other websites.
Social media platforms based in the United States also engage in this practice, but ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok in China, has come under scrutiny due to allegations that it is controlled by the Chinese government.
TikTok denies all allegations
In the meantime, TikTok has unequivocally denied allegations that it gives the Chinese government access to the personal information of its users. It issued a statement in which it referred to the decision made by the UK Parliament as "misguided" and claimed that the decision was founded on fundamental misunderstandings regarding the company.
It is pertinent to mention here that several countries in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region have banned the popular video-sharing app TikTok from being used on government devices due to increasing concerns regarding privacy and cybersecurity. In the meantime, a select few have gone further and banned the app entirely.
