TikTok to be banned from UK parliamentary devices, internet servers

The British parliament announced on Thursday that the Chinese video-sharing application TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and internet servers.

The move came a week after the usage of the app was banned from all government electronic devices in the UK.

Last Thursday, Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden told the parliament: "The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review."

TikTok requires users to give permission for the app to access data stored on the device, which is then collected and stored by the company. Allowing such permissions gives the company access to a range of data on the device, including contacts, user content, and geolocation data.

"The government, along with our international partners, is concerned about the way in which this data may be used," a government statement read.

"Cyber security is a top priority for parliament," the spokesperson added.

The United States, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app from official devices.

TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.

The British parliament's ban was announced as TikTok's chief executive faced question from U.S. lawmakers who are convinced the app should be barred for being a potential national security threat to the United States.