TikTok has been banned from Government devices - but ministers and officials will still be able to use the app on their personal phones.
Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden announced the ban with "immediate effect" on Thursday. He said the ban, criticised by TikTok, was "a prudent and proportionate step following advice from our cyber security experts".
The ban, which is not being extended to members of the public, was being imposed over risks around how sensitive information can be accessed by TikTok. "The security of sensitive Government information must come first, so today we are banning this app on Government devices. The use of other data-extracting apps will be kept under review," the minister said.
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The Cabinet Office said the move was being taken because TikTok users are required to hand over data including contacts, user content and geolocation data. Mr Dowden said there will be "limited exemptions" on some Government devices made on a "case by case basis" where the app is required for work purposes.
TikTok, owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, said it was "disappointed with this decision". "We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok and our millions of users in the UK, play no part," a spokesman said.
"We remain committed to working with the Government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors. We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect our European user data, which includes storing UK user data in our European data centres and tightening data access controls, including third-party independent oversight of our approach."
Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan on Wednesday said the public can continue to use the app. "In terms of the general public, it is absolutely a personal choice. But because we have the strongest data protection laws in the world, we are confident that the public can continue to use it," she told the Commons.
TikTok has long said it does not share data with China but Chinese intelligence legislation requires firms to help the Communist Party when requested. Critics fear the policy could expose western data to Beijing.
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