Like many countries, France prohibits its officials from installing TikTok on their professional smartphones. But the French government stands out from the others. The ban, formalized on Thursday March 23, does not only target the short video platform, a subsidiary of the Chinese group ByteDance. It relates to the “recreational applications”, on all telephones provided to public officials.
“A date”, three main types of applications are concerned, specify the services of the Ministry of Transformation and the Public Service. First, “social” applications like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or even Tinder. Then, video and audio streaming platforms, including Netflix and Spotify. And finally, all of the video games.
This prohibition is justified by “a risk to the protection of the data of administrations and their public officials”, explains the ministry in a press release. It comes into force “without delay”. Exceptions are however provided for, in particular “exceptional title for professional needs such as the institutional communication needs of an administration”.
Bans are on the rise
With this general ban, the French government avoids targeting only TikTok. A way also to emphasize that the risks of access to the data of civil servants do not only concern Beijing. The American Cloud Act allows Washington to claim information from American companies, even if it is stored abroad.
In recent weeks, bans have multiplied in Europe. In February, the European Commission asked its employees to remove the TikTok app from their smartphones. It was followed by the European Parliament, then by the German, Danish and Belgian governments. Many capitals are still considering the issue.
Outside the European Union, TikTok is also banned from government smartphones in UNITED STATES, Canada, Taiwan and Norway. This is also the case in the United Kingdom, where the application is also prohibited for BBC employees. In Inde, this ban has applied to the entire population for more than two years. In Washington, such a measure is under discussion.
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