New Zealand joins US push to ban use of TikTok on official phones

HONG KONG (CNN) — New Zealand will ban TikTok on all devices with access to its parliament later this month, becoming the latest country to impose an official ban on the popular social media platform owned by the Beijing-based tech giant.

Led by the United States, more Western countries are imposing restrictions on the use of TikTok on government devices, citing national security reasons.

Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, chief executive of New Zealand’s Parliamentary Service, said on Friday the risks of maintaining the video-sharing app were “unacceptable”.

“This decision is based on our own expert analysis and discussions with our colleagues in government and internationally,” he wrote.

“Following the advice of our cyber security experts, the Parliamentary Service has informed members and staff that the TikTok app will be removed from all devices with access to the Parliamentary network,” it added.

But he said those who need the app “to fulfill their democratic obligations” are eligible for an exemption, adding that the app is expected to be phased out on March 31.

CNN has reached out to TikTok and its owner, Beijing-based Byte Dance, for comment.

New Zealand’s decision comes on top of other measures taken by its Western allies, despite the country being more cautious in its relations with Beijing, as China remains an important trading partner.

The US, UK and Canada have ordered the removal of the application from all public telephones for cyber security reasons.

All three countries are part of the so-called “Five Eyes” alliance, which cooperates with each other in intelligence gathering and sharing.

The Chinese video-sharing app has been banned by all three major government agencies in the European Union.

Tik Tok has become one of the most successful social media platforms in the world and is very popular among the youth.

The short video sharing app has more than 100 million users in the US alone.

New Zealand’s latest move comes hours after TikTok admitted the Biden government had threatened to ban it nationwide unless its Chinese owners agreed to divest their stake in the social media platform.

U.S. officials have expressed fears that the Chinese government could use its national security laws to pressure TikTok or its parent company ByteDance to hand over personal information about American TikTok users that could benefit intelligence operations or Chinese influence campaigns.

China has accused the US of “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok and spreading “misinformation” about data security.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told the US Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month that he fears the Chinese government could use TikTok to sway public opinion if China invades Taiwan.

TikTok has repeatedly denied it poses any security risk and has said it is willing to address any concerns with regulators.

— CNN’s Michelle Toh contributed to this report.