TikTok banned in New Zealand government amid increasing concern about spying by China
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New Zealand is banning TikTok from official devices, following a range of other countries that have instituted their own bans.
The country is just the latest to raise alarm about cyber security concerns relating to the app, and limit use of the app on government-related devices as a result.
Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok‘s Chinese parent company.
The depth of those concerns was underscored this week when the Biden administration demanded that TikTok‘s Chinese owners divest their stakes or the app could face a U.S. ban.
In New Zealand, TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to parliament’s network by the end of March.
Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said in an email to Reuters that the decision was taken after advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions within government and with other countries.
“Based on this information, the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment,†he said.
Special arrangements can be made for those who require the app to do their jobs, he added.
ByteDance did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Speaking at a media briefing, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand operated differently from other nations.
“Departments and agencies follow the advice of the (Government Communications Security Bureau) in terms of IT and cybersecurity policies ... we don’t have a blanket across the public sector approach,” Hipkins said.
Both New Zealand’s defence force and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday they had already implemented bans on TikTok on work devices.
A spokesperson for the New Zealand Defence Force said in an email to Reuters the move was a “precautionary approach to protect the safety and security” of personnel.
On Thursday, Britain banned the app on government phones with immediate effect. Government agencies in the U.S. have until the end of March to delete the app from official devices.
TikTok has said it believes the recent bans are based on “fundamental misconceptions” and driven by wider geopolitics, adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations.
Responding to a question about the TikTok bans from Britain and New Zealand, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a regular news briefing on Friday that the two countries should “stop over-extending and abusing the concept of national security, and provide a fair and non-discriminatory environment to companies from all countries.”
Additional reporting by agencies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments