France bans ‘recreational' use of TikTok, Twitter, and other apps on government phones

French Minister for Transformation and Public Administration, Stanislas Guerini, issued a statement explaining that 'recreational' apps lack sufficient security measures for use within state administrative services and could pose a risk to data protection.

France bans ‘recreational' use of TikTok, Twitter, and other apps on government phones
AP Photo/Thomas Padilla
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In a bid to enhance data security, France has announced a ban on the "recreational" use of popular social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram on government employees' phones.

The move follows similar restrictions placed on TikTok in other countries due to concerns over its connections to China. However, the French decision extends to a wider range of platforms, many of which are frequently used by government officials, including President Emmanuel Macron.

French Minister for Transformation and Public Administration, Stanislas Guerini, issued a statement explaining that "recreational" apps lack sufficient security measures for use within state administrative services and could pose a risk to data protection. France's cybersecurity agency will be responsible for monitoring the ban.

While the statement did not provide a specific list of prohibited apps, Guerini's office informed the Associated Press that the ban would also cover Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, gaming apps like Candy Crush, and dating apps.

The government will allow certain exceptions. Officials seeking to use a banned app for professional purposes, such as public communication, can request permission to do so. Demonstrating this, Guerini announced the ban on Twitter.

Countries including the US, Britain, and the European Union have already prohibited TikTok on government phones. Western governments are concerned that Chinese authorities could pressure TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to hand over user information to the Chinese government.

In response to questioning by US lawmakers on Thursday, ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew refuted claims that TikTok or ByteDance are tools of the Chinese government. He highlighted that 60% of ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors.

However, a Chinese law enacted in 2017 mandates that companies provide any personal data relevant to national security to the government. Although there is no evidence of TikTok complying with this requirement, concerns persist due to the vast amount of user data the platform collects.

The widespread push to ban TikTok has sparked concerns that any laws created to force the company’s dissolution and ban in the United States could be used to clamp down on free speech online, and be used to shut down other apps — including Twitter and Telegram.

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