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The French government has announced that it is immediately banning TikTok and all recreational apps on official devices.
The ban will be enforced by France’s Interministerial Digital Department alongside the National Information Systems Security Agency. Stanislas Geurini, France’s Minister of Transformation and Public Service, told the Associated Press that the ban also covers social media apps such as Twitter and streaming services such as Netflix.
However, the apps can still be used for official communications. For instance, Minister Guerini made note of the ban via his Twitter account.
“Recreational applications do not have the levels of cybersecurity and sufficient protection of data to be deployed on administrative equipment,” Minister Guerini said in a statement. “These apps can therefore constitute a risk to the protection of the data of these administrations and their public officials.”
“The cybersecurity of our administrations and our public services constitutes a crucial issue.”
France is just the latest country to place a restriction on the use of TikTok on government devices, though its ban does go further. The United States and Canada have announced similar bans, as has New Zealand.
The Australian government is also considering a similar ban.
“The government is reviewing the social media platforms,” Government Services and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten told Channel Nine’s Today, after admitting he saw the app as a “serious issue” on 21 March.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil is reported to be announcing a ban shortly, according to Nine.
TikTok chief executive Shou Chew appeared before a US congressional committee last week, defending the company’s privacy practices, particularly on US soil.
“Today, US TikTok data is stored by default in Oracle’s servers,” Chew said. “Only vetted personnel operating in a new company, called TikTok US Data Security, can control access to this data. Additionally, we have plans for this company to report to an independent American board with strong security credentials.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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