TikTok to be banned on government phones in the UK

The social media app TikTok will be banned on Government phones, ministers are expected to announce on Thursday (March 16).

No official comment has been made yet, but Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden will confirm the move in the Commons later today. It follows similar moves rolled out in the US and EU.

In late February, the White House gave all federal agencies 30 days to wipe the short-form video sharing app off all government devices. Some agencies, including the Departments of Defence, Homeland Security and the State Department already have restrictions in place.

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The White House does not allow TikTok on its devices. Congress passed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow TikTok to be used in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

TikTok said bans have been based on “misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics”, saying it would be “disappointed by such a move” in the UK.

The Chinese-owned video app remains extremely popular and is used by two-thirds of teenagers in the US, but there is increasing concern that Beijing could obtain control of American user data and push pro-Beijing narratives and propaganda on the app. China has long been concerned about the influence of overseas social media and communications apps, and bans most of the best-known ones including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube — and TikTok.

It comes as China has accused the US of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok after reports that the Biden administration was