Jersey considers banning TikTok on government phones

The States of Jersey said it would consider banning TikTok on government phones, following the UK, US and EU

The States of Jersey said it was "considering" banning the social media platform TikTok on government devices.

The UK, US and EU have banned TikTok on government-owned devices over security concerns.

The states said it used a range of social media platforms to "engage directly with islanders" online, but would consider a similar ban.

Assistant Chief Minister Alex Curtis said it was considering the ban as "part of a wider policy review".

UK Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden said the government had banned the app due to the "ultimate corporate ownership of TikTok" being Chinese owned, which meant Chinese companies were subject to its national security laws "which allows them to ultimately access" users' data.

• TikTok banned from official UK government phones

• China hits out as US bans TikTok on federal devices

• European Commission bans TikTok on staff devices

Matthew Palmer, director of CERTJE, a cyber security company in Jersey, said geo-political events had led to increased concerns around TikTok.

He said: "What's going on behind the scenes, of course you do have a major political change.

"We see this with Russia and Ukraine, we see this with the dynamic with the US and China and of course that concern is going to play out in technology and the way governments behave."

Anne King said organisations and individuals should check the privacy statements of apps they download

The Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner advises islanders and the government on how best to protect their data.

Operations director Anne King said it was vital that individuals and organisations checked the privacy statement of the apps they downloaded to understand "what information is being collected, who it's being shared with and how it's being used".

She said: "It's working out what you are trying to achieve in using the platform, have you got the settings correct, and are you doing this, why are you doing this and what's the personal information shared within it?

"In the work context, if you have a work WhatsApp group or a work messenger group, that is all discoverable should someone put in a subject access request."

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