People should delete TikTok from their smartphones to protect their personal data from “hostile” threats, a senior British Conservative lawmaker has said.
There have long been concerns around TikTok over its links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), because its parent company ByteDance was founded in the country, and critics have raised fears data could be passed to the Chinese state.
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 and 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.
‘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 said 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 also said the company had not been asked for TikTok UK user data by the CCP, had not provided such data, and “would not do so if asked.”
But Kearns rejected TikTok’s claims.
She told Sky News: “We are being naive. TikTok gave evidence to my committee where they said there was no way that individuals working in China could get 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 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.”
Internal CCP Committee
The UK’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat on Dec. 13 said the Chinese regime has “considerable sway over the algorithms,” warning the app is a powerful tool to push false narratives.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 said, adding employees could be “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.”
