The UK has announced a security ban on the Chinese-owned video app TikTok on government devices.
Gatekeepers News reports that this was in line with action by the European Union and the United States.
Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said to the parliament, “We will do so with immediate effect.”
Western governments have been taking an increasingly firm approach to the app citing fears that user data could be used or abused by Chinese officials.
Dowden explained that experts had conducted a risk assessment of third-party apps in relation to sensitive government data.
As part of the measures, government devices will only be allowed to access apps on a pre-approved list.
Although the ban will apply to “government-corporate devices” used by ministers and ministries, it does not apply to personal devices or the wider public.
Bowden said, “This is a proportionate move,” urging users to exercise “caution” before downloading apps.
The firm that owns the app, Bytedance, has long insisted that it does not keep data in China or share it with Beijing.
US officials have said that if TikTok parts ways with ByteDance it would avoid a wider national ban.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Thursday called on Washington to stop “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok, which claims more than a billion global users.
Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters, “The US has so far failed to produce evidence that TikTok threatens US national security.”
Nevertheless, this week, the UK detailed plans to counter what it said was the “epoch-defining challenge” posed by China, in an update to its defence and foreign policy.
Since its departure from the European Union, the UK is seeking new markets and influence in Asia, in part to counter China.
Part of its plans was the strengthening of security agencies to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure.
The UK has previously sparked anger in China by banning the involvement of tech firm Huawei in the roll-out of the country’s 5G network.
It has also blocked Chinese takeovers of UK electronics groups and removed China General Nuclear from the construction of a new power station.
