New Zealand To Ban TikTok On Devices Linked To Parliament Over Security Concerns
New Zealand has become the latest country which has decided to ban TikTok on devices with access to the country’s parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns.
New Zealand has become the latest country which has decided to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok on devices with access to the country’s parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, as reported by the news agency Reuters. Concerns have mounted worldwide about the Chinese government’s potential to access users’ data and location through TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.
According to Reuters, the app will be banned on all the devices with access to the parliament's network by the end of March. The concerns were highlighted this week when the United States demanded that the Chinese owners of TikTok to divest their stakes otherwise the app might face a ban in the country.
In an email to Reuters, Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said that the decision to ban TikTok on devices was taken following the advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions within the government and with other countries. "Based on this information the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
He further said special arrangements can be made for those who require the app to do their jobs. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. TikTok has said it believes the recent bans are based on "fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics. It further said that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations, Reuters reported.
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