TikTok banned

The ban, announced on Thursday, will allow ministers and officials to use the Chinese-owned app on their personal phones. A Chinese embassy spokesperson accused ...

New Zealand said on Friday it would ban TikTok on devices with access to the country's parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, becoming the ...

Government agencies in the U.S. we don't have a blanket across the public sector approach," Hipkins said. A spokesperson for the New Zealand Defense Force said in an email to Reuters the move was a "precautionary approach to protect the safety and security" of personnel.

After concerns were raised about TikTok, the government asked chiefs at the National Cyber Security Centre to examine the video-sharing app. Mr Dowden on ...

“In terms of the general public, it is absolutely a personal choice. “We must check to see if there is spyware on our phones,” he said. Earlier this week, Mr Sunak said the UK would “look at what our allies are doing”. “So today we are strengthening the security of those devices in two key respects,” Mr Dowden told MPs. TikTok said bans have been based on “misplaced fears and seemingly driven by wider geopolitics”, and said it would be “disappointed by such a move” in the UK. Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner welcomed the ban but said “once again the government is late to the game”, pointing to TikTok bans in the US and the European Commission.

Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is once again facing backlash in two different continents due to security concerns. Within 24 hours, the UK and New Zealand ...

Global concerns have erupted over ByteDance-owned TikTok, which could possibly share customer data with the Chinese government.

The U.S. The ban in the UK will not apply to the wider public, but only to "government-corporate devices" used by ministers and ministries. Parliamentary service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero told Reuters that their cybersecurity experts advised them to take the step and discussions were held within the government and with other countries. It said there were exemptions to the ban under some circumstances, as reported by Special arrangements can be made for those who require the app to do their jobs, he added. But government departments and individual ministers are quite active on TikTok, which is widely used among teens and young adults in the UK.

Decision broadens backlash against the China-owned app among U.S. allies.

[30% off eBay coupon](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/ebay) H&R Block Coupon Code](https://www.wsj.com/coupons/hrblock) Still, it stops short of a governmentwide ban, with individual departments in New Zealand

Many countries are concerned about TikTok's security and the platform's ties to China. The UK and New Zealand are just the latest to join the ranks.

In 2020, India imposed a ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, over privacy and security concerns. It also “strongly recommended” that members of parliament and staff remove the app from their personal devices as well. There is also concern about TikTok’s content and whether it harms teenagers’ mental health. But many countries remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Experts fear sensitive information could be exposed when the app is downloaded, especially on government devices. "This is a precautionary move.

China is appealing to other governments to treat its companies fairly after Britain and New Zealand joined the United States in restricting use of TikTok ...

armed forces and more than half of American state governments prohibit use of the app by their employees. Legislators and employees in New Zealand’s Parliament will be prohibited from having TikTok ’s app on phones, the government said Friday. In February, the White House told federal agencies to delete TikTok from government-issued mobile devices within 30 days.

Federal and state governments and even some universities have banned TikTok. Here's why.

To ban TikTok on every American device, the White House will likely have to face a number of legal and political hurdles, since the administration has yet to define what national security risks the app poses. announced its TikTok ban, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the US's decision to ban the app without consulting the company prompted its allies to take the same steps. After the Canadian government ban, a spokesperson for TikTok told the BBC that the app's ban blocks Canadian officials from reaching people on a public platform. TikTok had a similarly disapproving reaction to the European ban. A day later, the European Parliament ordered members from all three of its institutions to delete the app from government devices -- and urged members to delete it from their personal devices, too. In some states, the governors are eager to propose a nationwide ban on the app. "While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised." [the US Congress approved a motion to ban TikTok](https://www.zdnet.com/article/lawmakers-introduce-a-bill-that-could-ban-tiktok-in-the-us/) on all federal government-issued devices. But much of TikTok's information gathering is automatic and cannot be stopped by the user. Some of TikTok's information-gathering methods can be circumvented by taking steps like denying the app access to your contacts. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. If an American company controlled TikTok, it was presumed the app would be less of a security concern for the US and other countries.

UK has removed app over concerns data can be monitored by Chinese state, but public remain vulnerable.

TikTok says it has not received a request from the Chinese government for its data and that, if it did, it would refuse. TikTok’s credibility was also damaged last year when ByteDance [admitted that employees](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tiktok-bytedance-workers-fired-data-access-journalists) had used the app to spy on reporters. “The bottom line is that if there is a cybersecurity issue for the government users, the same applies to all of us,” says Alan Woodward, a professor of cybersecurity at Surrey University. The similar functionality of TikTok and its Chinese sister app Douyin suggests overlap between the engineering teams, but the extent to which resources are shared has remained fuzzy. [China](https://www.theguardian.com/world/china) in Singapore and the US. The app’s much vaunted “For You” page has a complex recommendation algorithm that takes into account a huge range of signals, both explicit and implicit, to decide what content a given user should be shown. [BuzzFeed investigation](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access) revealed a rash of situations in which engineers in China would have access to US data, lasting at least until January 2022. [in its statement](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tiktok-banned-on-uk-government-devices-as-part-of-wider-app-review) explaining why it was taking the “prudent” step of removing TikTok from government-issued devices. TikTok has updated its privacy policy to tell European users that their data can be accessed in China – in specific circumstances. According to a report [by the Australian-US cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0](https://internet2-0.com/whitepaper/its-their-word-against-their-source-code-tiktok-report/), TikTok’s app can access a user’s calendar, other running applications, wifi networks, and even the sim card serial number. Could the Chinese state demand access to data generated by TikTok’s global user base and, for instance, create profiles of people it is interested in, such as government employees in other countries? We answer your questions about why TikTok has become a [lightning rod](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/16/will-uk-follow-us-in-demanding-tiktok-be-sold-by-its-chinese-owner) for suspicion of Chinese state espionage – and whether nationwide bans are likely.

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer asks Georgetown University professor Anupam Chander about the constitutionality of a Biden administration ultimatum that TikTok be sold ...

So we have lots of ability to gather data just by purchasing it on the open market, not to mention auditing and other systems to make sure that the data is well-protected. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. And I don't think the Biden administration will say it has to be done in 45 days, which was the Trump administration's guidelines, or said to be a very American corporation, which I think was the language that President Trump used. So we did require apps like Grindr, which is a dating app, to be sold. The focus in the Trump administration seemed to be to pass it into the ownership of the hands of a company which was run by his political friends. PFEIFFER: And you may only have time for a yes or no answer to this. And the Biden administration is demanding that ByteDance sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban. Or is it different? CHANDER: I think, right now, the case is in the hypothetical. CHANDER: It's certainly a legitimate concern, but it's one that we share with lots of apps. How is this attempt by Biden different? government is giving the Chinese owners of TikTok an ultimatum.

The Biden administration has reportedly given TikTok's Chinese owners an ultimatum to either sell the platform or risk its ban in the U.S..

Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both post on the platform frequently. “We, at this point, don’t feel like we can ignore the audience that is on TikTok,” Thomas said. Apart from the White House visit, the creators met with former President Barack Obama and received a private tour of the U.S. The influencers’ trip to Washington, D.C., was organized by the Democratic National Committee in an effort to turn out voters for the party in November. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) last week introduced the Restrict Act, meant to address the threat of technologies created by U.S. “This legislation would provide the U.S. While the legislation doesn’t specifically target TikTok, it could be used to ban the platform in the U.S. “And I think that any sale will also potentially raise antitrust concerns, just because the U.S. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. officials have been warning that the technology could be used to pass on U.S. “There are not many companies that both have the resources to buy TikTok and have the economic or the strategic motivation to do so,” Chin added. users’ private data to the Chinese government and even influence Americans to benefit China.

Maybe for real this time, the U.S. might force a sale (or potentially a ban) of TikTok in America. Here's what this means for you.

[Android](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/29/android-privacy-settings/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_13) [Venmo](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/23/venmo-privacy-settings/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_11) [Apple](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/26/ios-privacy-settings/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_12) [Amazon](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/23/amazon-privacy-settings/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_9) 5 tips to make your gadget [batteries last longer](https://www.washingtonpost.com//technology/2022/08/19/battery-charging-tips/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_4) How to get back control of a [hacked social media](https://www.washingtonpost.com//technology/2021/09/29/hacked-social-media-account/?itid=lb_help-desk-making-tech-work-for-you_5) account [aren’t helpful for most people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/17/dont-use-a-vpn/?itid=lk_inline_manual_34). [ tried to do in 2020](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/31/tiktok-trump-divestiture/?itid=lk_inline_manual_19). To further limit tracking, use an app such as [Disconnect’s Do Not Track Kids](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/20/protect-kids-privacy/?itid=lk_inline_manual_66&itid=lk_inline_manual_51), which blocks all trackers from reporting back to TikTok. [ to harvest information on Americans](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/10/tiktok-data-whistleblower-congress-investigators/?itid=lk_inline_manual_12), spread pro-China propaganda or drown us in internet garbage that rots our brains. (And I have detailed steps below, too.) If you have a large following on TikTok or use the app to pitch your business, you might want a backup plan.

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer asks Georgetown University professor Anupam Chander about the constitutionality of a Biden administration ultimatum that TikTok be sold ...

This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. So we have lots of ability to gather data just by purchasing it on the open market, not to mention auditing and other systems to make sure that the data is well-protected. And I don't think the Biden administration will say it has to be done in 45 days, which was the Trump administration's guidelines, or said to be a very American corporation, which I think was the language that President Trump used. So we did require apps like Grindr, which is a dating app, to be sold. And the Biden administration is demanding that ByteDance sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban. The focus in the Trump administration seemed to be to pass it into the ownership of the hands of a company which was run by his political friends. PFEIFFER: And you may only have time for a yes or no answer to this. Or is it different? CHANDER: I think, right now, the case is in the hypothetical. CHANDER: It's certainly a legitimate concern, but it's one that we share with lots of apps. How is this attempt by Biden different? government is giving the Chinese owners of TikTok an ultimatum.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) threatened to ban TikTok if ByteDance wouldn't sell its stake. Any ban of TikTok in the U.S. would ...

government has a lot of work to do to provide clarity on what would happen if the app was to be banned. consumer information and the second is who has the ability to determine what information reaches U.S. "Trying to police data access is very, very difficult, especially when there's suspicion that the folks who are doing this have a reason to do it," Schmidt said. The company has developed an elaborate plan known as Project Texas that includes the vetting of its code in the U.S. [risk of being banned](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/16/tiktok-us-threatens-ban-if-chinese-parent-bytedance-doesnt-sell-stake.html) in the U.S. TikTok has sought to reassure the U.S. That issue resurfaced earlier this year, when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying across a large swath of the U.S. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. "It would just be a lot more difficult for the average person to do it without getting an advanced degree in computer security or something." [Oracle](/quotes/ORCL/) is the [cloud hosting service](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/delivering-on-our-us-data-governance) for all of TikTok usage in the U.S. The first is who can access U.S. And the app stores controlled by [Apple](/quotes/AAPL/) and [Shannon Reaves](https://www.stroock.com/people/sreaves), a partner in Stroock's CFIUS compliance group, said any requirement on a third party would not come from CFIUS, which is tasked with evaluating foreign investments alone.

New Zealand is banning TikTok from official devices, following a range of other countries that have instituted their own bans.

NBC News spoke with four people who have studied cybersecurity, national security and technology policy who offered some ideas about how a TikTok ban could ...

If the U.S. The U.S. “There really wouldn’t be a way to circumvent the ban. “The ban does not address the key problem that TikTok poses, which is transfer of data,” Rostoum said. Officials could “ban VPN use or compel VPN companies to have a blacklist of sites that they will not permit the flow of traffic to,” Ghappour said. Beyond data privacy concerns with Chinese-owned companies, the U.S. did force the sale of an app. A ban would be difficult to enforce, he added, because there are always loopholes. Shortly following the ban, India’s Department of Telecommunications [ordered internet and wireless service providers](https://www.reuters.com/article/india-china-apps-idINKBN2425OH) to block the apps, TikTok among them. An app store ban would leave the app intact on phones where it was already downloaded. West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for Technology Innovation. [ persuade](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/tiktok-tries-sell-project-texas-fights-survival-us-rcna67697) U.S.

TikTok is once again fending off claims that its parent company, ByteDance, would share user data from its popular video-sharing app with China.

But it is storing backups of the data in its own servers in the U.S. The company said it expects to delete U.S. Congress, the U.S. TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said the company was already answering security concerns through "transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. Last month, the White House said it would give U.S. assets was also shelved as the Biden administration negotiated a deal with TikTok that would address some of the national security concerns. At the same time, lawmakers have introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration's authority to enact a national ban on TikTok. government may ban the application if its Chinese owners don't sell its stake but added, "we have legitimate national security concerns with respect to data integrity that we need to observe." - part of the Treasury Department - was threatening a U.S. China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the United States itself of spreading disinformation about TikTok's potential security risks following a report in the Wall Street Journal that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. There's no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it, like other social media companies, collects. So are the data security risks real?

A growing wave of countries around the globe are banning TikTok on government devices and at large due to security concerns. Here's a running list.

TikTok said it is building data centers in Ireland and Norway to allow data from an estimated 150 million users in the region is stored locally, Insider [previously reported](https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-banned-in-uk-eu-government-despite-project-clover-2023-3). [Wired reported](https://www.wired.com/story/the-taliban-cant-stop-tiktok/) last month that several TikTok creators and influencers in the country saw their views dip, but then rise again after people began using VPNs and other measures to circumvent the ban. Analysts [have told Insider's](https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-meta-instagram-reels-tiktok-ban-2023-3) Grace Kay that a US ban would likely have the same effects it did in India, and competitors like Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube would see boosts in usage. Some of those bans have lasted only a few hours, according to the Post. Several universities [also banned](https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-universities-tiktok-ban-students-campus-wifi-greg-abbott-bytedance-2023-1) the app from being used on campus wireless networks. "The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices," said Oliver Dowden, a senior cabinet minister. Pakistan has introduced multiple temporary bans over content the government deemed inappropriate. [reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/08/03/its-not-just-united-states-these-governments-see-tiktok-growing-problem/). India placed bans on dozens of Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, in the weeks following the incident. "This decision has been made based on our own experts' analysis and following discussion with our colleagues across government and internationally," Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said, according to the AP. The ban reportedly will take effect at the end of March. "If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn't solve the problem: A change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access," a spokesperson told Insider this week.

TikTok is once again fending off claims that its parent company, ByteDance, would share user data from its popular video-sharing app with China.

But it is storing backups of the data in its own servers in the U.S. The company said it expects to delete U.S. Congress, the U.S. TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan said the company was already answering security concerns through "transparent, U.S.-based protection of U.S. Last month, the White House said it would give U.S. assets was also shelved as the Biden administration negotiated a deal with TikTok that would address some of the national security concerns. At the same time, lawmakers have introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration's authority to enact a national ban on TikTok. government may ban the application if its Chinese owners don't sell its stake but added, "we have legitimate national security concerns with respect to data integrity that we need to observe." - part of the Treasury Department - was threatening a U.S. China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the United States itself of spreading disinformation about TikTok's potential security risks following a report in the Wall Street Journal that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. There's no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it, like other social media companies, collects. So are the data security risks real?

TikTok has been facing the heat as several government agencies and experts have accused it of sharing user data with the Chinese government.

India: The country was one of the first ones to prohibit TikTok and other Chinese apps in 2020 soon after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a confrontation with Chinese troops along their disputed Himalayan border. United States: Earlier in March, the President Joe Biden’s administration told government agencies that they have 30 days to delete the app from federal devices and systems. Canada: Soon after the US government’s announcement, Canada also issued orders prohibiting the use of TikTok on government-related devices. “We must not be naive: TikTok is a Chinese company which today is obliged to cooperate with the intelligence services. However, the company has denied the allegations and said that it is run independently by its own management, Time magazine reported. The officials said that the ban would come into effect at the end of the month.

Momentum in the US is growing for an outright ban on TikTok, the globally popular video-scrolling app with more than 110 million users in America alone, ...

[China](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/03/07/chinese-foreign-minister-warns-china-and-us-on-course-for-conflict/), Russia, North Korea, [Iran](https://thenationalnews.com/tags/iran), Venezuela and Cuba. Critics also say TikTok and short video-scrolling apps like it are bad for users' mental health and attention spans, particularly that of teenagers. [TikTok's Chinese owners divest their stakes](https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2023/03/17/tiktok-ban-us/) in the popular video app or face a possible US ban, the company said.