The video-sharing social networking app Tik Tok has been banned on the phones of New Zealand MPs due to security concerns, according to the New Zealand Herald, a daily newspaper based in Auckland.
Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, the chief executive of the Parliamentary Service, reportedly told the New Zealand Herald that the risks “are not acceptable” in light of the strong regulations being implemented against social media services globally.
When Britain recently banned the Chinese-owned video app on government phones with immediate effect, the executive informed the New Zealand MPs of the new approach.
Criticism from all across the world
The app has drawn criticism from all across the world because of concerns that the Chinese government could access user data from TikTok, which is run by the Beijing-based firm ByteDance, threatening Western security interests, according to the Auckland-based daily.
Gonzalez-Montero confirmed the choice and said it was made “based on advise from our cyber security experts” in a statement to New Zealand-based media outlet, NZME (New Zealand Media and Entertainment).
He said that arrangements may be made for people who needed the app to carry out their democratic responsibilities. The New Zealand Herald claimed that while TikTok may still be accessible using a web browser, it should be deleted from personal phones that also contain Parliament software.
App can threaten safety and security of United States
In response to a media query on Tik Tok on Thursday, the White House stated that the app could threaten the safety and security of the United States. “We have expressed concerns over China’s potential use of software platforms that could endanger or threaten America’s safety and national security so that is the President concerned that is why we have called on Congress to take action,” It said.
“We have seen a bipartisan piece of legislation that you know and have been covering, which is the President’s main priority. I am sure when it comes to their safety when it comes to their security and when it comes to our national security, those things are protected and so that has been the President’s focus over the last couple of years,” she added.
“Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology” (RESTRICT) Act.
The Act would grant the US government new power to take action against technologies that pose a risk to the nation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, TikTok has emerged as the most recent flashpoint in a much larger US-China conflict that has moved beyond geopolitics to include topics like trade and technology.
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