BBC asks its staff to uninstall TikTok due to data collection fears

The British broadcasting company - BBC has asked its employees to uninstall Chinese app TikTok unless it was needed for business reasons. The Western organizations are taking a harder stance over data collection fears.

 

The BBC said that it has sent its staff a message conveying, “We don’t recommend installing TikTok on a BBC corporate device unless there is a justified business reason.”

 

“If you do not need TikTok for business reasons, TikTok should be deleted,” it added.

 

Western institutions are taking up a firm approach towards ByteDance owned TikTok as they fear user data could be used or abused by Chinese officials.

 

Britain announced a security ban on TikTok on government devices, in line with action by the European Union and the United States.

 

The BBC said that it “takes the safety and security of our systems, data and people incredibly seriously”.

 

It added that while usage of TikTok on its corporate devices is still permitted for editorial and marketing purposes, “we will continue to monitor and assess the situation”.

 

The broadcaster has launched multiple pages on the app as it attempts to reach new audiences, and its official account has 4.4 million followers.