The announcement is going to made today.
Chinese app TikTok to be banned on UK government phones – BBC News
This follows several weeks of intense international backlash against the Chinese social media company TikTok over the access and control the Chinese Government may be exerting over it. It is legal in China for the Government to be able to access the information held by any Chinese based company.
The TikTok story on Smart Thinking Solutions
Update 17 March 2023
Here is an article from the next day that hopes to add some context to this issue:
The TikTok wars – why the US and China are feuding over the app | The Guardian
Your takeaway from this is to review what your people are putting on social media about your organisation – even photos of the office party, if they include the server cabinet in the background could have an impact on your security.
Do you have a social media policy?
Do you know what OSINT is and how threat actors use it against you?
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Here is an academic examination of the risks of TikTok which seem to be about the same as US based social media companies with the exception of the access the Chinese Government has to their information:
TikTok bans: what the evidence says about security and privacy concerns (theconversation.com)
More on OSINT
The Basics of Cyber Security – A quick look at OSINT and Redacting
