Delete TikTok App to Protect Your Personal Data, Says UK Lawmaker
To protect their personal information, people should remove TikTok app from their phones “hostile” A senior British Conservative lawmaker said threats
TikTok’s links to the Chinese Communist Party have been a source of concern for many years. ByteDance, its parent company was established in China and critics raised concerns that data could be handed to the Chinese government.
Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, told Sky’s “Sophy Ridge On Sunday” programme that the video-sharing platform is linked to the CCP’s efforts to build a “tech totalitarian state.”
Asked if she is advising people to delete TikTok from their phones, Kearns replied: “Without question. I don’t have it on my phone it’s fascinating how often you speak to people and they go, ‘I’m going home tonight to have a serious conversation with my children.’
“It is not worth having that vulnerability on your phone and it is the ultimate data source for anyone with hostile efforts.
“The fact is, now this isn’t just me saying ‘I’m worried, delete it,’ we have evidence that TikTok has been used to track down sources for journalists. Everyone should be concerned about that.”
‘We Are Being Naive’
In a letter addressed to Kearns in December 2022, TikTok Government Relations Director Elizabeth Kanter confirmed some ByteDance staff in China may access UK users’ personal data, adding the access is “limited” and “subject to strict security controls and authorisation approval protocols” that are overseen by the company’s U.S.-based security teams.
Kanter claimed TikTok is “a global company with a global leadership team” that is separate from ByteDance’s China-based subsidiary Douyin, whose employees do not have access to TikTok UK users’ personal data.
She stated that the company was not asked for TikTok UK data by the CCP and had not provided this data. “would not do so if asked.”
But Kearns rejected TikTok’s claims.
She told Sky News: “We are being naive. TikTok presented evidence to my committee, where they stated that there was no way for individuals in China to gain access to the data of Britons. But what we’ve now seen is that people working in China for TikTok hacked into European data so it could track down the source of a journalist.
“Because what TikTok does is it gives away the data that makes you most vulnerable: who are you friends with; what are your interests; what are the interests you have that you may not want publicly disclosed; who you are having private conversations with; the locations you go to. There’s a reason why China has this app. There’s a reason why they’re buying up gay dating apps.”
The Conservative MP also added: “Our data is a key vulnerability and China is building a tech totalitarian state on the back of our data. So we have to get far more serious about protecting ourselves.”
Just hours after the United States downed a suspected terrorist, Chinese spy balloon, Kearns said: “While balloons are an important diplomatic spike in opportunity to have this conversation, our bigger concerns are the data penetration, pathway dependency that China is creating on Chinese companies, the way in which they’re intimidating those who sought refuge in the UK and around the world.”
Internal CCP Committee
The UK’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat The Chinese regime was declared to have dissolved on December 13. “considerable sway over the algorithms,” Warning the app can be used to spread false narratives.
Megan Prangley, a China expert at the Henry Jackson Society, told The Epoch Times that TikTok’s claims were not credible because ByteDance “has an internal CCP committee” and it’s “highly likely” An employee based in China can access the data to streamline it for the government.
She also referenced China’s National Intelligence Law, which requires all organisations and citizens to “support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts.”
“This is just where you cannot trust the Chinese government,” Prangley suggested that employees could be added. “coerced into sharing whatever particular piece of information will be desired at the given time.”
A TikTok spokesman said: “TikTok is enjoyed by millions of people across the UK, and we want to be clear that they can trust us with their data.
“We’re taking steps like storing UK user data in our data centre operations in Ireland, starting this year; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe.
“We have written to Ms. Kearns on a number of occasions to ensure she has all the facts and information available and we look forward to having constructive engagement with her on these important issues in the near future.”
This report was co-authored by Lily Zhou and PA Media.
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