Webdesk: New Zealand became the latest nation to ban TikTok on government-related devices due to cybersecurity concerns.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has raised global concerns about the Chinese government accessing users’ location and contact data.
Moreover, The Biden administration’s demand that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest or face a US ban this week underscored those concerns.
By March, TikTok will be banned on all parliament-connected devices in New Zealand.
Afterward, Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero told Reuters in an email that cybersecurity experts and government and international discussions influenced the decision.
“”Based on this information, the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,” he said.
He added that workers who need the app can make special arrangements.
Reuters did not hear back from ByteDance.
Moreover, Britain immediately banned the app on government phones on Thursday. US government agencies must remove the app from official devices by March 31.
While, TikTok believes recent bans are based on “fundamental misconceptions and driven by geopolitics. Adding that it has spent over $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and denies spying allegations.
