:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_e536e40f1baf4c1a8bf1ed12d20577fd/internal_photos/bs/2023/d/s/iSStBBSJA2PidlPHmOsA/85fb7e60-b866-11ed-89f4-f3657d2bfa3b.png "France to ban TikTok on civil servants’ work phones | Technology")
France will ban the use of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on civil servants’ work phones, Civil Service Minister Stanislas Guerini said on his Twitter account.
“To ensure the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on civil servants’ work phones,” he said in a statement.
Guerini added that for several weeks, France’s various European and international partners have taken measures to restrict or prohibit the downloading and installation of the TikTok application by public officials.
The minister said the recreational apps did not have sufficient levels of security and data protection to be deployed on government equipment, adding that the ban takes effect immediately and government departments will monitor compliance with the ruling.
He indicated that, exceptionally, exemptions could be granted for professional reasons, such as institutional communication.
Several Western governments and institutions have banned TikTok in recent weeks, including the British and New Zealand parliaments, as well as the governments of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Late last month, the European Union’s two biggest political institutions – the Commission and the Council – banned TikTok from employees’ phones over digital security concerns.
Concerns have been growing around the world over the Chinese government’s potential to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.
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