SOCIAL media app TikTok has faced mounting criticism from the West over its data handling practices and links to China, leading to calls for greater regulation and scrutiny.
A group of MPS and peers have called for an investigation into whether the popular video-sharing app TikTok is in violation of data protection legislation of the United Kingdom.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) made the request to the information commissioner after the UK government prohibited the use of the app on government-owned phones used by ministers and officials.
The move comes in the wake of mounting Western criticism of TikTok’s Chinese ownership and the security of its users’ data.
TikTok, according to IPAC, cannot be consistent with data protection standards, and the app may eventually be forced to suspend operations in the UK if it is unable to comply with these standards.
TikTok, on the other hand, has stated that it is the victim of “fundamental misconceptions” and has begun working on a European data security strategy to address the legal issue.
Following a security review by UK Intelligence Officers, Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden announced the ban on Thursday, stating that the app would be banned “with immediate effect” from the government phones of ministers, advisors, and civil servants.
Dowden expressed concerns about TikTok’s access to user data, such as contacts, user content, and geolocation data, which the corporation collects and stores and is accessible from China.
Meanwhile, a UK foreign policy assessment earlier this week described Beijing as a “epoch-defining challenge” to the West.
To recall, TikTok has been banned on government-owned devices in the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Commission, Canada, Belgium, and New Zealand in recent weeks.
China has always been open, cooperative on data security issues —spox Wang Wenbin
Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin insists that his country has always been open and cooperative on data security issues.
It can be noted that on September 8, 2020, China proposed the global initiative on data security at the international seminar on global digital governance, to respond to new issues and challenges emerging in the field of data security and contribute to global digital governance.
Wang stressed that the China side has always stuck to its commitment, and urged the UK to recognize objective facts.
“We call on the UK to recognize the objective facts, earnestly abide by the rules of market economy and the principle of fair competition, refrain from generalizing and abusing the concept of national security, and to provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign-invested enterprises,” said Wang Wenbin spokesman, Chinese Foreign Ministry.
