British government will ban TikTok on the mobile phones of its officials

The British government will announce a ban on the Chinese social media app Tik Tok on all devices for its government ministers and officials working within the government.

Photo: EFE – ANDY RAIN

Cabinet Secretary of State Oliver Dowden will make the announcement to Parliament on Thursday in a speech on “security in government apparatus.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under international pressure from his international partners, especially the United States, to join the ban on Tik Tok on official phones that may contain sensitive information.

Also read: Why are countries trying to ban TikTok?

This week, the Secretary of State for Security, Tom Tugendhat, explained to the same channel that he has asked the National Cyber ​​Security Center to review the application to ensure that it does not represent a threat.

The White House, the Government of Canada, the European Commission and the European Parliament are some of the institutions that have vetoed the use of TikTok on the corporate devices of their employees

TikTok denies that it facilitates the Chinese government’s access to its users’ data and speaks of “prejudice” because it is a company from that country.

global problems

In addition to the problems in the UK, TikTok is under scrutiny for being Chinese-owned, which US authorities worry could lead to Chinese manipulation or spying on Americans, a fear TikTok is trying to address. The company, which is undergoing a national security review by the United States Committee on Foreign Investment, agreed last year to implement a series of changes to a plan it calls Project Texas.

At this point, TikTok’s management is considering separating itself from ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, to help address concerns about national security risks.

A divestment, which could result in a sale or an initial public offering, is considered a last resort, which would take place only if the company’s current proposal with national security authorities is not approved, according to people familiar with the matter. who asked not to be identified. Even then, the Chinese government would have to agree to such a transaction, the people said.

Also read: Meta will lay off 10,000 employees and eliminate 5,000 vacancies

TikTok’s US business could be valued at between $40 billion and $50 billion depending on the social network’s multiples and other factors, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and Damian Reimertz said.

TikTok is also facing a barrage of potential laws in Congress, some of which call for a separation. Lawmakers, concerned that the app will be forced to share data with the Chinese government or that China could use it as a tool of influence, have proposed several bills with bipartisan support calling for the app to be banned or sold.

ByteDance was valued at about $220 billion in a recent private market investment by Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence firm G42, Bloomberg News reported separately. That’s a significant discount to the $300 billion that TikTok’s owner set up during a share buyback program last year.