The British parliament has cited the need for cybersecurity to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network.
“Following the government’s decision to ban TikTok from government devices, the commissions of both the House of Commons and Lords have decided that TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network.
“Cybersecurity is a top priority for parliament. However we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents,” a parliament spokesperson disclosed to the UK Guardian on Thursday.
TikTok, a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance allows users submit videos, which can range in duration from 3 seconds to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government has also ban the app from its mobile phones and other corporate devices following discussions with the UK government.
According to the Scotland’s deputy first minister, John Swinney, the ban does not extend to personal devices used by staff or the general public.
She said, “Devices managed by the Scottish government are configured in line with best practice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which helps us to manage any risk associated with the use of third-party applications.
“Our decision to prohibit the use of TikTok follows engagement with the UK government on the potential tracking and privacy risks from certain social media apps.
“Currently there is limited use of TikTok within government and limited need for staff to use the app on work devices. This ban will be implemented immediately. It does not extend to personal devices used by staff or the general public.”