However, the company has dismissed the report and argued that disinvestment would do nothing to boost national security.
TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan told the Associated Press: “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.
“The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing.”
Simon Mullis, cyber security expert and CTO at Venari Security said:“News that the UK Government has banned TikTok on staff devices is an interesting development for the cyber security space and follows the EU Commission and US government bans of the app.
“Despite the Chinese-owned company stating that it operates no differently from other social media, Governmental security is under scrutiny in an era where the prevalence and sophistication of attacks is intensifying. The risk of a breach shouldn’t be underplayed.
“This is particularly relevant in the case of public sector workers responsible for sensitive government matters and national security.
“In this era of heightened geo-political sensitivity, nation-state actors will be looking for every conceivable opportunity to breach cybersecurity boundaries and gain access to sensitive data.
“Ministers and civil servants therefore need to follow the necessary regulations as a bare minimum to help maintain appropriate levels of security and robust action should be taken when these haven’t been followed.”
