New Zealand will ban the use of the TikTok app on the devices of its parliamentarians, its authorities told AFP on Friday, joining other Western countries in taking a step to overcome concerns about the security of the Chinese-owned platform. The executive head of parliamentary services, Rafael González-Montero, clarified that the app will be banned from March 31 on all devices that have access to the parliamentary network.
González-Montero said the risks were “unacceptable in the current climate of the New Zealand Parliament”. “This decision was made based on the analysis of our own experts and after discussion with our counterparts in government and internationally,” he added. The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have also banned the Chinese group’s popular ByteDance platform from government devices, fearing that Chinese authorities could access the data.
The European Commission has also ordered its employees to remove the app from their devices. The first such action was taken in 2020 in India, which banned various Chinese apps following clashes on a disputed border between the two Asian giants.
That same year, then-US President Donald Trump accused tik tak to collect information for China. tik tak acknowledged that ByteDance employees in China had access to account data in the US, but always denied that he would hand over their data to authorities in Beijing.
Current U.S. President Joe Biden has threatened to ban the app outright unless it pulls out of ByteDance.
UK orders “with immediate effect” to remove TikTok from government equipment
The UK announced on Thursday an immediate ban on tik tak on government devices for security reasons. “We’re going to ban the use tik tak on government devices” with “immediate effect,” Secretary of State Oliver Dowden, whose responsibilities include cybersecurity, told Parliament.
The short video-sharing app is very popular among young people, but its detractors warn that Chinese authorities have access to its users’ data around the world, which tik tak denies. According to the minister, this is a “preventive” measure. “We know that there is already a limited use tik tak inside the government, but it’s about good cyber hygiene,” he said.
“Given the particular risk associated with government devices that may contain sensitive information, it is reasonable and proportionate to limit the use of certain applications,” especially those that access and store “significant amounts of data,” he said.
Similar measures have been taken in the US, Canada and the European Union. On Thursday, China urged the US to stop “unjustified attacks” on tik takafter the United States asked the company to spin off from its Chinese parent, ByteDance, lest it be banned from the country, citing national security concerns.
“The United States has not yet provided any evidence that tik tak threatens the national security of the United States,” Chinese diplomatic spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.
– According to AFP –
Source: RPP
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.