In a move to strengthen security protocols, New Zealand’s Parliament has officially decided to ban the use of TikTok on all the devices linked to Parliament or its MPs The decision was made due to concerns over potential security risks posed by the Chinese social media platform. This comes a day after the UK banned TikTok on government-issued phones.
TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March, said Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. The announcement comes after a review of security procedures was conducted by the Parliamentary Service. It was found that TikTok’s data collection and privacy policies could potentially compromise sensitive information that is shared and stored on Parliament’s devices.
Parliamentary Service General Manager, Rafael Gonzalez-Montero stated that “We take the security of Parliament’s information systems and data very seriously. After careful consideration, we have decided to ban the use of TikTok on all parliamentary-linked devices to minimize potential risks.”
Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero further said that TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March. The Members of the New Zealand Parliament were told via email that “the Parliamentary Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliament environment”.
Tiktok banned on UK govt. devices! https://t.co/CFlSGr5Ywn
— Poonam Joshi (@PoonamJoshi_) March 16, 2023
This decision of the Parliamentary Service of New Zealand will impact all parliamentary staff and MPs who use TikTok on their work devices. They will no longer be able to access the app or use it on their devices.
Apart from this, New Zealand’s defence force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have already implemented bans on TikTok on work devices. A defence official said that the move was a “precautionary approach to protect the safety and security” of personnel.
TikTok has been a popular social media platform among young people globally, with millions of active users daily. The app is known for its short-form videos and trendy challenges that have gone viral on various social media platforms.
This move by New Zealand’s Parliament to ban TikTok on their devices follows similar actions taken by other countries. India was the first country to ban Tiktok, many countries later followed suit. India banned the app citing security concerns related to user data privacy and national security. The ban in New Zealand came just after a day the UK government banned the app from all Government devices with immediate effect.
“The security of sensitive government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review,” UK Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement. “Restricting the use of TikTok on government devices is a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts,” he added.
The UK government fears that sensitive data kept on official phones could be accessed by the Chinese government through the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
Oliver Dowden said that now the users of government devices will be able to access third-party apps only from a pre-approved list. However, the ban does not extend to the personal devices of the govt officials. While the govt has not banned TikTok from the use by the public, minister Dowden said that people should always “consider each social media platform’s data policies before downloading and using them”.
The move by the British govt came after it had asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps and the risks around how sensitive information could be accessed and used.
TikTok said it was disappointed with the decision and denied any security risk associated with the app. It said that it believes the recent bans are based on “fundamental misconceptions” and driven by wider geopolitics, adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations. The Chinese govt has said that the decision was based on political considerations rather than facts. The move “interferes with the normal operations of relevant companies in the UK and will ultimately only harm the UK’s own interests”, the Chinese embassy in London said in a statement.
The US government has also asked its officials to delete the app from their phones before the end of March. The US government has threatened a full-scale ban if Chinese owners in the app do not divest their stakes.
Several countries have either banned or temporarily blocked access to TikTok over concerns about data privacy and security. Here is a list of some of the countries that have banned TikTok:
India: In June 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese mobile apps citing national security concerns.
United States: In September 2020, the US government issued an executive order to ban TikTok citing national security concerns, although the ban was later put on hold. Currently, the US government is pushing TikTok to dissociate itself from the parent company ByteDance and divest.
Bangladesh: In June 2020, the Bangladesh government banned TikTok for spreading “obscene” content and “spreading falsehoods.”
Pakistan: Pakistan has banned Tiktok several times but the bans were lifted amid Chine government pressure. In October 2020, Pakistan banned TikTok for failing to filter out “immoral” and “indecent” content.
Indonesia: In July 2021, Indonesia temporarily blocked access to TikTok over concerns about “negative content.”
Canada: Tiktok is banned on government phones in Canada, the ban was implemented citing security concerns.
Iran: In January 2021, Iran banned TikTok over concerns about the spread of “immoral content.”
Belgium: Belgian federal government employees are not allowed to use TikTok on their work phones, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on recently
It remains to be seen whether this move by the New Zealand Parliament will influence other organizations to take similar measures. For now, it is clear that the country’s Parliament is taking proactive measures to safeguard its sensitive information and data from potential security threats.
