Leicestershire MP warns TikTok users of data concerns

TikTok said Ms Kearns' claims were based on "basic misinformation"

A Leicestershire MP said users of the app TikTok were at risk of having their personal data harvested.

Alicia Kearns, who represents Rutland and Melton, said the video sharing app collected information that could be shared with the Chinese government.

She said users should get rid of the app "without question".

TikTok said the claims were based on misinformation and that it did not collect any more data than other popular apps.

The Conservative MP, who also chairs the foreign affairs committee, voiced her concerns on the ITV show Good Morning Britain.

She said: "If you look at TikTok it does just like dance reels, happy fun jokes and memes.

"What you are actually giving them is your locations, your network like who you are friends with, information about things you like that you may not want to be public."

Ms Kearns said that information went back to the app owners ByteDance and that by law, they were required to hand over that data to the Chinese government if requested.

"They can hold it, track it, use it against you in the future.

"We have to get a real grip on the fact that we haven't recognised that our biometric data is our greatest risk," said Ms Kearns.

Alicia Kearns said the video sharing app collected information that could be shared with the Chinese government

A US congressional committee recently backed legislation that would give the president the power to ban TikTok from the country.

Government staff in the US and Canada are also barred from having the app on their mobile devices because of security concerns.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Ms Kearns wanted the UK government to consider adopting the same policy.

A spokesperson for TikTok said Ms Kearns' claims were based on "basic misinformation".

"Independent experts have consistently found that TikTok does not collect any more data than other popular apps, and often collects less," they said.

"We do not provide UK user data to the Chinese government, nor would we if asked."

They said Ms Kearns had been approached to discuss her concerns.