New Zealand said it will ban TikTok from devices accessing the country’s parliamentary network over cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest country to restrict use of the video-sharing app on government-related devices. has gone
Concerns have grown globally about the possibility of the Chinese government accessing users’ location and contact data through TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The depth of those concerns was highlighted this week when the Biden administration demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners step up their stake or the app could face a US ban.
In New Zealand, TikTok will be banned from all devices accessing Parliament’s network by the end of March.
Rafael González-Montero, chief executive of the Parliamentary Service, said in an email to JEE News that the decision was made after consulting cybersecurity experts and discussions with the government and other countries.
“Based on this information the service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in New Zealand’s current 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 a JEE News request for comment.
Britain immediately banned the app on government phones on Thursday. Government agencies in the US have until the end of March to delete the app from official devices.
TikTok has said it believes the recent bans are “based on fundamental misunderstandings and driven by broader geopolitics,” adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts. and has denied the allegations of espionage.
