UK investigation into TikTok does not rule out a total ban:

The booth of TikTok's parent company "ByteDance" in the exhibition center of Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone in Beijing :

LONDON-

Following in the footsteps of many countries, the United Kingdom has studied and restricted the use of TikTok. According to the latest remarks by British officials, the United Kingdom may consider a plan to ban its use, depending on how big the threat is in the final decision.

British Secretary of State for Security Tugendhat (Tom Tugendhat, also translated as Dong Qinda) said that he has asked the National Cyber Security Center (National Cyber Security Center) to investigate what challenges China's short video application TikTok will pose to the UK. Prohibited for use in the UK entirely, or in official installations.

The British government updated an important policy document on Monday, March 13, stating that China poses an "epoch-defining challenge" to the UK and the global order. Dong Qinda explained the relevant policies in an interview with British media on Tuesday.

Authorities study TikTok's challenge to UK democracy and media:

Tugendhat told Sky News (Sky News ) that the British Prime Minister invited him to chair the "Defending Democracy Taskforce" (Defending Democracy Taskforce) last year. His job is to protect British democracy, including the safety of the media.

"It's important to understand exactly what challenges these apps pose to us, what (data) they ask for, how they enter our lives. So I asked the National Cyber Security Center to look into this issue," he said. I don't have an answer yet."

Asked whether he would agree to take TikTok off the shelves if the survey results show that TikTok is a threat, Tugendhat said that many countries in the world have different approaches to this. For example, India has completely banned its use, and the US government has asked the government Civil servants remove TikTok from official installations and more.

He said: "For a lot of young people, TikTok is a news source, just as the UK knows who the real owners of the UK news media, like News International or Trinity Mirror Group, know who the news on our phones comes from. It's very important, and TikTok is part of it."

Last week, Belgium decided to ban the use of TikTok on government mobile phones. The three main EU agencies and the Danish Ministry of Defense have also ordered employees to delete TikTok from official devices.

When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (also translated as Xin Weicheng) recently visited the United States, he was asked whether he would ban the installation of TikTok on official devices. He responded that he attaches great importance to the security of official devices and will refer to the practices of his allies.

A TikTok spokesperson responded to the British "Guardian" ( The Guardian ), saying that they are waiting for the British government to provide more details, but if TikTok is banned, they will be disappointed. The spokesperson also said that similar decisions elsewhere were based on "false fears" and "appear to be driven by larger border politics", and that TikTok will continue to work with the government to respond to related concerns.

Last year, the British Parliament deleted the official account on TikTok due to concerns among British lawmakers that TikTok data would be sent to China.