UK's defence ministry urged to ban TikTok amid fears of Chinese espionage: Report

The British defence ministry has been urged to ban the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok amid fears that sensitive data could be useful to Chinese spies. TikTok's usage has been banned across Whitehall but the defence ministry uses the app to communicate with British forces around the world. Now intelligence experts fear that Chinese spies will be able to harvest data from the app which could threaten Britain's security, a report by The Telegraph on Saturday (Mar 16) said.

The concerns come after the United States (US) passed a bill that would give TikTok's owner ByteDance about six months to divest its American assets or face a ban. Speaking to The Telegraph, Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy and chief of defence intelligence, said that it would seem extraordinary "if there is sufficient concern for the US to ban TikTok that we don’t take action regarding MoD and service personnel use."

“Absolutely and without any hesitation, TikTok should be banned by the MoD (Ministry of Defence)," Rear Admiral Chris Parry told the publication. He further said that the app could provide details of troops’ IDs and their locations.

MoD's justification for using TikTok

As per the report, the defence ministry has said that its TikTok account was managed using third-party software and devices outside its computer network. Defence officials said that it uses the channel to reach a bigger audience as TikTok is used by around a billion people globally and 23 million people in the United Kingdom (UK).

The ministry has also said that its personnel have been banned from using the app on their official phones. However, they are allowed to use them on their personal phones.

Nearly 1,000 troops are deployed in Estonia as part of a force of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which is on standby related to the ongoing Ukraine war. The report further said that British special forces have been ordered to remove TikTok from official and personal phones over fears that covert operations could be compromised.

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TikTok collects mass user information andidentifiesthe internet protocol address, which can be used to identify every device on the internet. It can also collect biometric information and personal identifiers.

The report said that although other social media platforms collect similar details, it is TikTok's link to China that concerns British intelligence agencies.

TikTok users in US urged to call senators to vote no on ban

Meanwhile, TikTok on Friday urged some American users to call their senators and ask them to vote no to a bill that would ban the app. "Tell your Senator how important TikTok is to you. Ask them to vote no on the TikTok ban," a notification issued by the app said.

The notification added that if the Senate votes, the "future of creativity and communities you love on TikTok could be shut down."

(With inputs from agencies)