French authorities ban Tiktok on civil servants' devices

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Mar 2023 22:02

Minister of Public Sector Transformation and Service Stanislas Guerini cites risks of cyber-security breach as the main reason behind such a decision.

A logo of the smartphone app TikTok is seen on a user post on a smartphone screen, September 28, 2020, in Tokyo (AP)

Minister of Public Sector Transformation and Service Stanislas Guerini said on Friday that the French government has enforced a complete ban on the use and downloading of "entertainment applications," including TikTok, on government officials' devices.

The Minister cites the risks of an alleged cyber-security breach as the main reason behind such a decision.

"After the analysis of the problems, in security for instance, the government has decided to ban downloading and using Chinese TikTok application on service phones from now," Guerini said in a document posted on his social media, noting that "Entertainment applications" do not have a proper level of cyber defense and data safety.

Their use on government phones and other devices would therefore pose a security threat, the documents claim.

It further states that the ban will be compulsory for all state employees but some exceptions will be made when the applications are for "professional needs," the statement said.

According to the broadcaster France Info, the ban will also affect Twitter and Instagram. An estimated 2.5 million French public servants' devices will undergo the change, it added.

Citing a government source, the broadcaster added that the prohibition may involve three categories: entertaining, gaming, and streaming, such as Netflix.

On March 1, government sources said that French President Emmanuel Macron and all his ministers removed Tiktok from their work phones due to security concerns that the Chinese government may infiltrate their devices.

On February 28, the European Parliament took the decision to prohibit the use of the social media application TikTok from all government-owned devices, citing similar reasons.

The Canadian and US Governments likewise announced a similar decision to ban the use of TikTok on all government devices, citing the same reasons.

Citing a report by Berstein, a report by Forbes published earlier today revealed that the banning of TikTok in the US could leave a market worth around $431 billion to be tapped by three American tech giants as Washington's pressure mounts over the social media app.

Bernstein, a wall street private wealth management company, informed its clients that prohibiting ByteDance's TikTok in the country will skyrocket the stock prices of Alphabet, Meta, and Snap, as social media users will scramble to find another platform to fill their needs. “Who wins? Everyone,” Bernstein said its note referring to the three American corps.

According to the financial institute, shares of YouTube's parent Alphabet could soar up to 20% accounting for almost $267 billion in market value, while Meta's Instagram share could increase by around 30% to $155 billion and Snap's by up to 50% representing a $9 billion market gain.