TikTok ban: Preston City Council orders review into staff use of the app on work devices - here's why

Social media app TikTok has been banned on government electronic devices, the Cabinet Office announced last week on (March 16) on security grounds.

Government ministers in Britain have been told to delete the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on their work phones and devices after fears sensitive data held on official phones could be accessed by the Chinese government.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said: “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.”

What is Tik Tok?

Tik Tok is a social media app where users can both create and watch short video snippets often accompanied by music. For the UK, the number of monthly active users of TikTok is 9.2 million (Digimind).

Users gain access to endless amounts of short clips to scroll through, with the videos showing a direct relation to their interests calculated by AI technology.

The app has proved popular for many reasons, it features built-in recording and editing capabilities that make it easy for content creators to quickly record, edit, and post video content on the platform–and have them go viral when done right.

What have Preston City Council and other Lancashire publicly-funded services said about the ban?

A spokesperson for Preston City Council, said: “The council has not received official government guidance, but in light of recent information on this subject, the matter will be discussed at an internal Corporate Governance Group and the outcome implemented accordingly.”

Lancashire Police

The Lancashire Police force who have their own Tik Tok account with over 40,000 followers and a combined total of 688,000 likes, said: “We monitor and review our use of social media platforms, following national guidance to ensure best practice.”

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

The fire service commented: “A small number of people working for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have TikTok on work phones and they will continue to do so at this moment in time.

“We are continuously monitor the situation and we work within the National Cyber Security Centre’s best practice guidelines.”

Lancashire County Council have also been approached for comment.