TikTok banned from official Welsh government phones

There are privacy concerns about TikTok, which is owned by a Beijing-based company

TikTok has been banned from the work phones of Welsh government civil servants and ministers.

It follows a review by the National Cyber Security Centre and action taken by the UK government to do the same.

The Chinese-owned app is under increasing scrutiny over security and data privacy concerns, but denies allegations that it hands users' data to the Chinese government.

The Welsh government is deciding what to do about its TikTok account.

The app has also been banned from work phones of staff working for the Senedd Commission, which is in charge of the day-to-day running of the institution, but there is no such ban for Senedd members.

The Welsh government said: "We welcome today's guidance from the Cabinet Office in relation to TikTok and will be implementing it fully."

Similar restrictions have already been imposed by the US and Canadian governments and the European Commission.

A statement from the Cabinet Office said: "Given the potentially sensitive nature of information which is stored on government devices, government policy on the management of third party applications will be strengthened and a precautionary ban on TikTok on government devices is being introduced."

It said the app requires users to give permission for TikTok to access data stored on the device, which is then collected and stored.

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Mr Drakeford used TikTok to invite a Canadian woman to visit Wales earlier this year, after she thought the country was in England.

The Welsh government said it was considering options for its account on the platform.

Sarah Murphy, Labour Member of the Senedd for Bridgend, who has a TikTok account and posts videos of her work, said: "If I'm told to take it down, that's fine with me."

A spokesman for the Senedd said: "There are currently no plans to further restrict the use of Senedd devices however we are constantly monitoring and updating our cyber security systems and advice for users."