The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is currently conducting a security review of the popular social media app, TikTok. This comes amidst concerns over the app's data privacy policies and whether it poses a threat to national security. The review could potentially lead to a ban on TikTok being used on government-issued mobile phones.
Security Review of TikTok Underway
The review of TikTok's security features is being led by the NCSC, which is part of the UK's intelligence agency, GCHQ. The review is focusing on the app's data collection policies and how user data is stored and protected. The NCSC is also examining whether the app poses a risk to national security, given its links to the Chinese government.
UK's parliament shut down its own TikTok account last year, after MPs raised concerns about TikTok's data policy and the firm's links to China.
UK Security minister Tom Tugendhat said "Understanding exactly what the challenges that these apps pose and what they are asking for and how they're reaching into our lives is incredibly important".
In response a TikTok spokesman told Sky News: "While we await details of any specific concerns the UK government may have, we would be disappointed by such a move."
Other Countries Ban TikTok on Government Phones
If the security review determines that TikTok poses a threat to national security, the app could be banned from being used on government-issued mobile phones. This move would follow in the footsteps of other countries, including the United States, the EU and India, who have already banned the app on government phones.
In the United States, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2020 that banned TikTok on government phones, citing concerns over the app's data collection practices and links to the Chinese government. The ban was upheld by President Joe Biden in June 2021.
India also banned TikTok in 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing concerns over national security and data privacy. The ban was later upheld by the Indian government in January 2021.
In addition to bad news of these bans across India, US and the EU, Tik Tok also received $5.4 million fine over cookie opt-out feature in January 2023 in France. Article 82 of France's data protection act not only requires services to secure users' consent for the storage of cookies but also presupposes the users' freedom to give that consent. Hence, the cookie consent dialogs must offer a balanced approach to how the options are presented to the user, which wasn't the case on TikTok sites.
The security review of TikTok by the NCSC in the UK is ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether the app will be banned on government-issued mobile phones in the UK. However, if the review determines that the app poses a risk to national security, it is likely that the UK will follow in the footsteps of other countries and ban the app on government phones.
