The BBC has instructed its staff to remove the TikTok application from professional phones, the British audiovisual conglomerate said Monday, echoing other Western institutions that have been suspicious of the Chinese social network.
In an article published on its website, the BBC reports that its staff received an email on Sunday stating that the group states “not to recommend the installation of TikTok on BBC company devices unless there is a justifiable professional reason”.
He also quoted the message addressed: “If you don’t need TikTok for professional reasons, you should suppress it”.
These guidelines follow the Chinese application bans on US or European Commission government or official devices.
TikTok, which is controlled by China’s ByteDance, is increasingly controlled by Westerners over fears that Beijing will gain access to users’ information around the world.
In November, TikTok acknowledged that some Beijing employees had access to information about European users, and in December it even admitted that employees had used this data to spy on journalists. But the group strongly denies that the Chinese government monitors or has access to its data.
Source: DN
