Despite a charm offensive known as "Project Clover," the UK is banning TikTok on devices used by the government, following the US, Canada, and the EU | Lotal Ghana

 Despite a charm offensive known as "Project Clover," the UK is banning TikTok on devices used by the government, following the US, Canada, and the EU

 

According to Bloomberg, the UK is the most recent region to prohibit TikTok on official devices.

 

 

Prior to a source familiar with the plans telling Bloomberg that TikTok will be prohibited on government devices, The Times of London reported that the ban would be suggested following concerns regarding the security of sensitive data raised by a UK security study.

 

 

 

The European Commission, which is the executive arm of the EU, informed staff last month that they had until March 15 to remove the software from their phones, according to The Guardian.

 

 

 

As a result of worries that the Chinese-owned app would collect sensitive information about government employees and give it to China's government or intelligence services, similar bans have been enacted in the US and Canada.

 

 

 

But despite TikTok's "Project Clover," a charm campaign effort to persuade European politicians that users' data will be protected, the most recent ban still stands.

 

 

 

To ensure that the data of its 150 million European users is stored locally, TikTok said that it was constructing two additional data centers in Ireland and Norway. The company stated that every data access must first pass through these security gateways and extra checks in addition to complying with the applicable data protection rules.

 

 

 

This regulation intends to defend the commission from cybersecurity risks and acts that could be used for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the commission; an EU spokeswoman earlier informed the Guardian of the prohibition.

 

 

 

Executives met with British policy experts last Monday as part of the endeavor, but some attendees told The Wall Street Journal that while they appreciated the openness efforts, they still had doubts about TikTok's ability to defy a Chinese government order.

 

 

 

"Although we await details about any specific concerns the UK government may have, we would be saddened by such a decision," a TikTok representative stated. Similar decisions elsewhere have apparently been influenced by larger geopolitics and based on unfounded worries, but we are still committed to working with the government to remedy any issues.

 

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A request for response from Insider was not immediately answered by the UK Cabinet Office.