Press24 News
New Delhi: France announced Friday it is banning the recreational use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and other apps on government employees’ phones because of the concern about insufficient data security measures. The move follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app’s Chinese connections.
But the French decision also encompassed other platforms widely used by government officials, lawmakers, and President Emmanuel Macron himself. (Also Read: Get Samsung Galaxy F23 5G At Just Rs 549 – Know How)
The French Minister for Transformation and Public Administration, Stanislas Guerini, said in a statement that “recreational” apps aren’t secure enough to be used in state administrative services and “could present a risk for the protection of data.” (Also Read: India’s Forex Reserves Rise Sharply)
The ban will be monitored by France’s cybersecurity agency. The statement did not specify which apps are banned but noted that the decision came after other governments took measures targeting TikTok.
Guerini’s office said in a message to The Associated Press that the ban would also include Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, gaming apps like Candy Crush, and dating apps.
Exceptions will be allowed.
If an official wants to use a banned app for professional purposes, like public communication, they can request permission to do so. Case in point: Guerini posted the announcement of the ban on Twitter.
The US, Britain, the European Union, and others have banned TikTok on government phones. Western governments worry Chinese authorities could force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., to hand over data on international users or push pro-Beijing narratives.
The company’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, pushed back on assertions that TikTok or ByteDance are tools of the Chinese government during a questioning by US lawmakers Thursday.
The company has been reiterating that 60 percent of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors. A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the country’s national security.
There’s no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency/news feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor.
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