'Cat videos not a threat': Minister says there are 'no plans' for US-style TikTok ban

3 weeks ago 9

There are presently "no plans" for the UK to travel successful America's footsteps and prohibition TikTok, a furniture curate said.

Darren Jones said cats and dancing videos bash not "seem similar a nationalist information threat", but suggested the presumption could alteration if an contented emerges which the authorities is "concerned about".

The Chinese-opened app was "forced to spell dark" successful the US connected Sunday aft a Supreme Court ruling upheld a instrumentality that unopen the level down.

The prohibition was implemented implicit concerns astir its links to Beijing, with the societal media elephantine fixed a deadline of 19 January to beryllium sold to an approved US buyer.

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Asked if the UK could travel suit, Mr Jones told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: "We ever support each of these exertion issues nether consideration, whether it's for nationalist information oregon information privateness concerns.

"We person laws successful spot and processes to bash that. We person nary plans close present to prohibition TikTok from the UK.

"So, we won't beryllium pursuing the aforesaid way that the Americans person followed unless oregon until astatine immoderate constituent successful the aboriginal determination is simply a menace that we are acrophobic astir successful the British interest."

Darren Jones is asked the aforesaid  quesion 8  times by Kay Burley

Image: Darren Jones

Mr Jones, who is the main caput to the Treasury, pointed retired that TikTok is not allowed connected authorities phones "because there's delicate accusation connected those devices".

Read more:
What does US TikTok prohibition mean?

However helium said for "consumers who privation to station videos of their cats oregon dancing, that doesn't look similar a nationalist information menace to me".

The Conservatives introduced the TikTok prohibition connected UK authorities devices successful 2023 aft a reappraisal recovered determination "could" beryllium a hazard to however information and accusation is utilized by the app.

Also speaking connected Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, shadiness overseas caput Dame Priti Patel said she was "not considering" pushing for the UK to spell further with a afloat prohibition connected the app.

However she said that Labour ministers should beryllium looking astatine what different countries were doing.

She said: "It's excessively binary to accidental 'should we conscionable prohibition this successful the UK?', we person to look astatine the concerns that are reflected overseas, truthful present successful America, larn immoderate lessons and instrumentality immoderate of those considerations into our ain judgement earlier we travel up with argumentation ideas."

The US prohibition is the extremity effect of authorities passed by President Joe Biden successful April that called for TikTok genitor ByteDance to merchantability the fashionable short-video app oregon spot it unopen successful the US.

The institution sought to person the determination declared unconstitutional connected escaped code grounds but mislaid the last-ditch ineligible bid.

US president-elect Donald Trump has told NBC News helium will "most likely" springiness TikTok 90 much days to enactment retired a woody aft helium is sworn into bureau connected Monday.

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