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Why is TikTok being banned by government phone devices everywhere?

2023-03-03 23:38:37Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Why is TikTok being banned by government phone devices everywhere?
Why is TikTok being banned by government phone devices everywhere?

The federal governments of the US and Canada, along with the European Parliament, have banned TikTok on mobile devices used by the government.

The US has had a rocky relationship with TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, which is headquartered in Beijing.

In 2020, former President Donald Trump proposed that ByteDance sell shares of its company to Microsoft.

If an American company controlled TikTok, it was assumed that the app would be less of a security concern for the US and other countries.

Late last year, the US Congress passed a motion to ban TikTok on all federal government devices.

On Monday, the White House ordered all federal employees to remove the app within the next 30 days.

A day later, the European Parliament ordered members of its three institutions to delete the app from government devices, and asked members to delete it from personal devices as well.

Shortly after that decision, Canada's chief information officer ordered that government-issued devices be TikTok-free, a decision supported by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

More than half of US states have completely banned TikTok from state-issued government devices.

In some states, governors are eager to propose a statewide ban on the app.

Some public, state-funded universities have also banned the use of the app on university networks.

Why are these bans being undertaken?

Every government organization that has banned TikTok from devices has cited security concerns as the reason.

TikTok may collect a lot of personal information from its users. The app's privacy policy states that when you create an account, upload content, or interact with the platform in any way, TikTok can and will collect the following:

Any account and profile information (name, age, username, phone number, profile picture, email, password)

Any user-generated content uploaded to the application (audio recording, photos, comments, videos)

Direct messages

Any information used to purchase something through the app (card numbers, names and information from third-party payment apps, billing and shipping address)

Some of TikTok's information collection methods can be bypassed by taking steps like denying the app access to your contacts.

But most of TikTok's collection of information is automatic and cannot be stopped by the user. For example, it should be shared:

Your device information (IP address, mobile operator, network type)

Your location

Cookies

With it device data (describes how, when and where user-generated content was created)

Some governments are concerned that there could be major problems if adversaries get hold of user data.

It can be especially worrisome if government officials give out their personal information, which is why the ban on federal government-issued devices is being implemented.

Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board of Canada, said the ban is a proactive measure to keep national secrets safe.

"On a mobile device, TikTok's data collection methods provide significant access to the phone's content," she said.

"While the risks of using this app are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised."

The European Commission said it is banning the app to ensure that no member data can be used against them in a potential cyber security attack.

Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer, said the ban is a step in the government's commitment to "securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the security and privacy of the American people."

What does TikTok say about this action?

After each government ban, TikTok has claimed that the bans are baseless, unfair and implemented without evidence that the app poses a security concern.

After the Canadian government's ban, a TikTok spokesperson said the ban on the app blocks Canadian officials from contacting people on a public platform.

The spokesperson said that no one from the Canadian government met with the company to discuss a compromise and that the company is disappointed with the Canadian government's decision.

TikTok had a similar disapproving reaction to the EU. The company said denying users access to government officials is a "self-defeating step."

After the US announced the ban on TikTok, TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said the US decision to ban the app, without consulting the company, prompted its allies to take the same steps. She said the company is disappointed with the United States' decision.


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