The British government today announced a ban – with immediate effect – on TikTok on government devices, citing security reasons.

“We are moving to a system where government devices will only be able to access third-party apps that are on a pre-approved list,” Secretary of State Oliver Dowden, whose portfolio includes cyber security, told the House of Commons.

“We are banning the use of TikTok on government devices,” with “immediate effect,” he stressed, saying there was a risk about how sensitive data could be used on some platforms.

With this move, the United Kingdom follows the example of other countries, including the US and Canada, which have taken a similar decision on this application.

The TikTok app, which is particularly popular among young people, has been accused by its critics of allowing Chinese authorities to access user data from around the world.

TikTok denies this.

In its first reaction, TikTok expressed its disappointment at the decision of the British government.