TikTok expected to be banned from UK government phones

TikTok is expected to beryllium banned from UK authorities phones aboriginal today, Sky News understands.

Cabinet Office curate Oliver Dowden volition marque a connection to Parliament this day connected "the information of authorities devices", wherever it is understood helium volition corroborate the ban.

The Chinese-owned video-sharing app has been nether expanding scrutiny implicit its security and information privacy, with concerns it could beryllium utilized to beforehand pro-Beijing views oregon stitchery idiosyncratic information - thing TikTok powerfully denies.

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The EU Commission and much than fractional of US states and Congress person already introduced a prohibition implicit concerns astir imaginable cyber attacks.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hinted astatine pursuing suit, saying the UK volition "look astatine what our allies are doing".

Earlier this week, information curate Tom Tugendhat told Sky News helium had asked the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to look into the app arsenic it was "absolutely essential" to support the UK's "diplomatic processes escaped and safe".

The UK's parliament unopen down its ain account past twelvemonth aft MPs raised concerns astir the firm's links to China.

But TikTok has called authorities bans "misguided and based connected cardinal misconceptions".

Responding to Mr Tugendhat's remarks past week, a spokesperson for the app said the institution would beryllium "disappointed" if the UK authorities banned it.

They added: "Similar decisions elsewhere person been based connected misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics, but we stay committed to moving with the authorities to code immoderate concerns."