New Zealand has announced that it will prohibit the use of TikTok on devices with access to the country's parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, joining a growing list of countries that are restricting the use of the video-sharing app on government-related devices. The concerns center around the possibility of the Chinese government gaining access to users' locations and contact information via TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
This week, the Biden administration issued an ultimatum to TikTok's Chinese owners, demanding that they divest their stakes or face a ban in the United States. In New Zealand, the ban on TikTok will go into effect at the end of March on all devices with access to the parliament's network. The decision was made after advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions with other countries, and the Parliamentary Service Chief Executive, Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, deemed the risks unacceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment.
Individuals who require the use of TikTok for their work may be able to make special arrangements, according to Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, the Parliamentary Service Chief Executive in New Zealand.
On Thursday, the UK banned TikTok on government phones immediately, while US government agencies have until the end of March to remove the app from official devices. TikTok has stated that it believes the recent bans are based on "fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics," and that it has invested over $1.5 billion in robust data security measures while rejecting spying allegations.
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