“First, we are moving to a system where government devices will only be able to access third-party apps that are on a pre-approved list. On government devices that data can be sensitive, and so today we are strengthening the security of those devices in two key respects,” said Dowden. “Social media apps collect and store huge amounts of user data including contacts, user content and geolocation data. “That review has now concluded and it is clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms,” he said. We take the security of government devices very seriously and we are constantly working to ensure that those devices remain as safe and secure as possible,” said chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden in a statement to the House of Commons today.Īs part of this effort, the NCSC review explored the risks posed by some third-party apps on government devices, in particular TikTok. “The government is strongly committed to bolstering our national security to meet the challenges of today and of tomorrow.

The ban follows a review of TikTok conducted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and was widely anticipated to be imminent in the wake of remarks made earlier in the week by prime minister Rishi Sunak and security minister Tom Tugendhat.

Tiktok app on pc