TikTok, one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, was facing bans due to allegations that user data was transferred to China. Officials from the USA, Canada and the European Union banned government employees from using TikTok for this reason.
Now the information has shown that a similar move may come from the United Kingdom. Authorities may ban the popular app from being used on government employees’ phones, sources said.
TikTok may be banned on official phones on Thursday
It is stated that the decision could come this Thursday after reviews by the National Cyber Security Centre, a division of GCHQ, the UK government’s agency to protect against cyberattacks and threats. According to The Guardian, at least two cabinet members use TikTok in the UK. These are Michelle Donelan, Minister of Science and Technology, and Grant Shapps, Minister of Energy.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also stated on Monday that they will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the security of the country. He also added that the UK was monitoring what its allies were doing. This raised expectations that a ban would come against the use of TikTok.
It should be added that this move is somewhat at odds with the country’s recent position on TikTok. GCHQ boss Jeremy Fleming stated in October that they would encourage young people to use TikTok. He also stated that they would enable them to obtain information about the use of personal data.
Following the arrival of this information, TikTok stated that it would be ‘disappointed’ if this ban came to official phones in the UK. In the continuation, he also mentioned other prohibitions and stated that these decisions were based on unfounded fears; but expressed their determination to work with governments to address concerns.
It is claimed that TikTok could leave ByteDance and become an independent company
On the other hand, the allegations made today revealed that TikTok can make a new move after the bans. According to this claim, which is not yet known whether it is true or not, TikTok can leave the roof company ByteDance to get rid of the pressure. You can reach the details of the claim from our content below.