TikTok Banned In UK Parliament

Britain’s parliament Thursday joined the government in banning TikTok, depriving lawmakers of access to the Chinese-owned video app via its internet network.

The announcement came as TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before a hostile US Congress over its alleged ties to the communist government in Beijing.

The app “will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”, the House of Commons and House of Lords said, adding: “Cyber security is a top priority for parliament.”

Individual lawmakers who are dedicated users of TikTok, such as Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps, will still be able to use the app on their own phones, but not when connected via parliament’s own WiFi network.

The UK announced last week a security ban of TikTok on government devices, in line with action by the European Union and the United States.

Shapps, who has more than 14,000 followers on TikTok, said he would comply with the ban on his government phone, but still use the app on his own devices.

The devolved government of Scotland announced Thursday that it would also ban the app on its official devices.

TikTok’s owner ByteDance and the Chinese government have dismissed the security fears over the app and denounced the Western bans as politically motivated.