Is TikTok getting banned in Britain? All you need to know

Global censorship on the popular social media platform TikTok has increased, with the United Kingdom reportedly bringing in a fresh set of sanctions. A new degree of censorship was announced on March 23, 2023 when the Parliament decided to ban the app from "all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network." This comes a week after the UK government decided to ban the application on all mobile phones and devices owned by them.

The reason for this censorship seems to be the same negative dictate surrounding the application's parent company, Bytedance. The latest sanctions make the social media platform even more inaccessible in the UK. Furthermore, it increases the chances of a complete ban in the near future. Although such a decision hasn't been announced yet, the signs are certainly quite ominous.

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TikTok has been banned in different nations over fears of a threat to cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has been used as the main rationale behind the latest decision taken by the Parliament. This has been a major concern that Bytedance has had to deal with over the last few years. A noticeable decision was made by the Indian government back in 2020, when the social media platform was completely banned.

A few days ago, the United States made a similar decision as well, which currently restricts federal employees from using the social media platform. A spokesperson from the UK's Parliament made their decision clear to the public:

"Following the government's decision to ban TikTok from government devices, the commissions of both the House of Commons and Lords have decided that TikTok will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network. Cybersecurity is a top priority for Parliament. However we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents."

As of writing this article, the UK's ban on social media platforms is limited to a large extent. While its access has been restricted to government-owned devices and networks, individuals still have access to it.

Recently, there has been support for the social media platform to remain accessible to the general public. A few MPs like Grant Shapps have clearly stated what they think of the ban. The public can continue to post clips, but only using their personal devices.

Bytedance's strong association with the Chinese government has remained a major hindrance to TikTok's growth in recent years. Various governments have been skeptical over the extent of data being shared by the company with China. As it stands, there's a high chance that censorship in the UK will only increase in the coming months.