A British MP has asked users to uninstall TikTok to prevent their data from falling to “hostile agents”.
UK Conservative MP Alicia Kearns urged users to uninstall TikTok for security reasons.
In conversations with Sky News , the deputy pointed out that keeping the app installed “leaved users’ personal data exposed to hostile threats from the Chinese government.”
“Not worth it”
The deputy is in the middle of a crusade to try to ban the application in British territory, a campaign similar to what is happening in the United States.
“It’s the ultimate data source for anyone with hostile efforts,” he said in the interview.
This concern has come to the fore again after it was revealed that employees of ByteDance , the app’s parent company , used data in an attempt to track down Western journalists.
An update to the app’s privacy policy also revealed that some employees abroad could access user data under specific circumstances.
“Everybody should be worried about that,” Ms Kearns said.
The app defends itself
TikTok has denied all the allegations made against it.
A spokesperson for the app noted that “Millions of people enjoy TikTok across the UK and they can trust us with their data.”
“We are taking steps such as storing UK user data in our data centers in Ireland, in order to further reduce access by employees outside of Europe,” he added