If we were to use the proper proverb, we could say that if TikTok set up a circus, it would “dwarfs would grow” (a somewhat rancid expression, mind you). General concerns about the social network’s possible links to the Chinese government are prompting several governments and public bodies to ban its use on official devices.
Despite the fact that TikTok has opened its API to more researchers in an act of transparency, with which they try to show that they have nothing to hide, the app is completely prohibited on the official devices of the United States House of Representatives and in those of the European Commission. Now, the United Kingdom could follow suit and also ban the app on the official devices of its officials.
According to The Guardian, “Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has been urged to ban public officials from using TikTok, in line with measures taken by the EU and US.USA., amid growing fears about cybersecurity in China. Officials in Europe and the United States have been asked to limit use of the Chinese-owned social video app for fear that Beijing could access the data”.
As the newspaper points out, this request comes just a few days after the European Commission issued a directive urging its officials to remove TikTok from their mobile devices, something that also happens in the United States, where the app is prohibited in 26 states.
In addition, the United States Government led by Joe Biden would currently assess the risks involved in the use of TikTok, and would be looking into the possibility of completely banning TikTok in the country, something that could be done if the situation were declared as “national emergency” or as a “threat to national security”.
At the moment, there is no express ban in the United Kingdom, although it could be carried out in the coming days. Will more countries join the measure of the United States and the European Commission? Will TikTok be banned on the official devices of the Government of Spain? Will we see an initiative in the European Union to ban the popular app on the entire European terrain? We will have to wait and see how the situation evolves.
