New Zealand bans TikTok on parliament-linked devices

New Zealand announced Friday it would ban TikTok on devices with access to the country’s parliamentary network over cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest country to restrict the use of video-sharing apps on government-affiliated devices.

There is growing global concern about the Chinese government’s potential access to users’ location and contact data through TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

The depth of these concerns was highlighted this week when the Biden administration called on TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell their shares.

New Zealand will ban TikTok from all devices with access to parliamentary networks by the end of March.

Rafael Gonzalez Montero, CEO of Congress Services, told Reuters in an email that the decision was taken after advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions within the government and with other countries. rice field.

“Based on this information, the service has determined that the risk is not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliamentary environment,” he said.

Special arrangements can be made for those who need the app to do their jobs, he added.

ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

At a press conference, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand operates differently than other countries.

“Departments follow the advice of[the Government Communications Security Agency]on IT and cybersecurity policies. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for the public sector,” said Hipkins.

Both the New Zealand Defense Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday they had already implemented a ban on TikTok on work devices.

A New Zealand Defense Force spokesperson told Reuters in an email that the move was a “preemptive approach to safeguarding the safety and security” of personnel.

On Thursday, the UK banned the app on government phones, with immediate effect. US government agencies must remove apps from official devices by the end of March.

TikTok said it believed the recent ban was based on a “fundamental misunderstanding” and was based on broader geopolitics, spending more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts. He added that he denied the allegations of espionage.

https://www.voanews.com/a/new-zealand-to-ban-tiktok-on-devices-linked-to-parliament/7009486.html New Zealand bans TikTok on parliament-linked devices

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