25 March 2023: London City Hall staff cannot use TikTok on official devices due to security concerns.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) said the rule would apply to 1,200 staff.
This mirrors a similar decision by the UK government to ban ministers from using the app on their work phones after a security review.
TikTok has strongly denied allegations that it provided user data to the Chinese government and has offered to meet with Sadiq Khan to clear up what it calls a “misunderstanding”.
This app, which has become very popular in recent years, collects a lot of information about you, such as your age, location, device, and even your typing rhythm.
This cookie also tracks user activity elsewhere on the Internet.
US-based social media sites have also done so, but TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has faced Beijing’s claims of influence.
Britain’s parliament on Thursday decided to ban the show from the network over security concerns, a move the GLA wants to follow.
A GLA spokesperson told: “The GLA takes information security very seriously.
In line with the government’s decisions, TikTok will no longer be available on GLA devices.
The Scottish government also announced on Thursday that it will join the Welsh government in banning the program from official channels.
In response to the mayor’s announcement, TikTok said it believed the ban was “based on fundamental misunderstandings and stemmed from broader geopolitics.”
The app’s spokesperson added: “We are ready to meet with the mayor to address our concerns, but we must judge based on the facts and treat our rivals.”
We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect European user data, including storing UK user data in European data centers and strengthening data access controls. This includes independent third-party monitoring of our approach.”