Politicians Told Not To Use TikTok On Government Devices

Friday, 21 April 2023 14:32

It follows an updated security warning from the National Cyber Security Centre.

Government officials have been told not to have the TikTok app on their phones.

It follows an updated security warning from the National Cyber Security Centre.

The National Cyber Security Centre conducted a technical assessment of the risks posed to the country by Tik Tok

The advice from it is the app shouldn't be installed on public sector devices

Similar advice has been given by the European Commission and the British and American Governments.

It follows allegations of espionage by the Chinese Government through the app.

Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly wants to know how widespread its use it

While Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell, who uses Tik Tok, says he wants more information

Ireland is following the trend on Tik Tok, which some American politicians have described as a spy baloon in your phone.

A midlands MEP and Fine Gael's Colm Markey has welcomed the ban of TikTok on Government devices.

He has been calling for ban since the European Parliament and European Commission told staff to delete the app from their phones in February.

The guidance has come from the National Cyber Security Centre, which advises Government departments and state agencies not to use the video sharing app TikTok on official devices.

The Midlands-North-West MEP says “I welcome the new guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre, which effectively bans TikTok on official devices. TikTok’s data collection practices and links to the Chinese Government are hugely concerning and we can’t afford to take any chances with the security of our information. Although this announcement is overdue, it is crucial that we err on the side of caution as we have a duty to protect sensitive information from unauthorised access.”

“We know TikTok is subject to Chinese Intelligence law through its parent company ByteDance, we know ByteDance previously admitted to accessing the location of journalists investigating the app and a recent report submitted to an Australian Senate select committee found that TikTok cannot be considered a private company. It’s prudent to ban the app from government devices until we a clear guarantee that private data is not being sent to China”, he added.

MEP Markey concluded, “The Irish Data Protection Commission is currently carrying out an investigation into TikTok’s data sharing practices and the Taoiseach has already confirmed to me that the investigation is at an advanced stage. I am calling on the Commission to publish its findings as soon as possible so we can determine the next steps.”