New Zealand will ban Chinese-owned short video-making app TikTok from lawmakers’ devices, officials told on Friday, after banning TikTok, New Zealand became the latest Western nation to act on security fears about the platform. The ban on TikTok will be imposed on March 31.
TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to the parliamentary network, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said.
The risks were not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment.
This decision has been made based on our own experts’ analysis and following discussion with our colleagues across government and internationally.”
Gonzalez-Montero said
New Zealand joins Canada, Britain, and the United States in banning the Chinese-owned TikTok from government devices amid cyber security concerns that data could be viewed by officials in Beijing. The European Commission has also demanded TikTok removed from their employees’ devices.
Global steps against TikTok kicked off in earnest in India in 2020. It was among the Chinese apps blocked after lethal conflicts on the border between India and China, with New Delhi saying it was protecting its power.
That same year, Former US President Donald Trump blamed TikTok for spying for China. TikTok has accepted ByteDance employees in China accessed details of US accounts but it has always refused to turn over data to the Chinese authorities. While current US president Joe Biden has threatened to ban the TikTok app outright unless TikTok separates from ByteDance.
