Ashish Ranjan
New Zealand To Ban TikTok: New Zealand has announced that it will ban TikTok on devices with access to the country’s parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, making it the most recent nation to restrict the app’s use on government-related devices.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, has sparked rising global concerns about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact information.This week, the Biden administration demanded that TikTok’s Chinese proprietors divest their stakes or the app could be banned in the United States, highlighting the gravity of these concerns.
By the end of March, TikTok will be prohibited on all devices with access to the parliament’s network in New Zealand.In an email to Reuters, Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero explained that the decision was made based on advice from cybersecurity specialists and discussions within the government and with other nations.
“Based on this information, the Service has determined that the risks are unacceptable in the current environment of the New Zealand Parliament,” he said.ByteDance did not respond promptly to a request for comment from Reuters.
Thursday, Britain issued an immediate prohibition on the app’s use on government-issued mobile devices. Government agencies in the United States have until March’s end to remove the application from official devices.
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TikTok has stated that it believes the recent bans are based on “fundamental misunderstandings and broader geopolitics,” adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects allegations of eavesdropping.
