What the TikTok ban means for UK-China relations

Whatever happened to the Osborne-Cameron ‘golden age’ of diplomacy with Beijing, asks Sean O’Grady

The TikTok ban is the latest thorn in UK-China relations (Josef Kubes/Alamy/PA)

TikTok has been banned from UK government devices following a review by the National Cyber Security Centre, ordered by ministers. It raises questions about the safety of the personal data of British residents, about the security of official secrets, and where Britain’s complex relationship with China is going.

What has the government announced?

Ministers say there is “limited use of TikTok within government and limited need for government staff to use the app on work devices”, and that its ban follows similar moves by the United States, Canada and the European Commission. The junior minister responsible, Oliver Dowden, says the use of other data-extracting apps “will be kept under review”.