bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

New Zealand said it will ban TikTok on devices with access to the parliamentary network because of cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest nation to limit the use of the video-sharing app on government-related devices.
Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.
The depth of those concerns was underscored this week when the Biden administration demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stakes or the app could face a US ban.
In New Zealand, TikTok will be banned on all devices with access to parliament’s network by the end of March.
Australia isn’t banning TikTok, yet. Neither is Japan
Parliamentary Service Chief Executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said that the decision was taken after advice from cybersecurity experts and discussions within government and with other countries.
“Based on this information the Service has determined that the risks are not acceptable in the current New Zealand parliamentary environment,” he said.
Special arrangements can be made for those who require the app to do their jobs, he added.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he did not have TikTok on his smartphone.
“I’m not that hip and trendy,” he told reporters.


Hipkins said cybersecurity advice came from New Zealand’s intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau.
He said New Zealand did not take a blanket approach to all government workers, and it would be up to each department or agency to make cybersecurity decisions.
Both New Zealand’s defence force and ministry of foreign affairs and trade said on Friday they had already implemented bans on TikTok on work devices.
A spokesman for the New Zealand defence force said the move was a “precautionary approach to protect the safety and security” of personnel.
TikTok, a Chinese soft-power time bomb in your living room?
ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Britain on Thursday banned the app on government phones with immediate effect. Government agencies in the US have until the end of March to delete the app from official devices.
TikTok has said it believes the recent bans are based on “fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics”, adding that it has spent more than US$1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


From world’s ugliest animal to New Zealand’s fish of the year: the blobfish’s surprising win

Who is Meta whistle-blower Sarah Wynn-Williams? The former New Zealand diplomat used to work with ‘careless people’ Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, and just released a tell-all memoir

New Zealand PM says trade wars will cause ‘serious headwinds’ to global economy

Fractures threaten Five Eyes’ future as Trump’s ‘America first’ era unfolds

New Zealand

New Zealand to ban TikTok on lawmakers’ devices over cybersecurity worries

TikTok has come under scrutiny due to fears that user data from the Chinese app could end up in the hands of Beijing. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Australia isn’t banning TikTok, yet. Neither is Japan

The TikTok logo is seen on a smartphone. Numerous Western countries have banned the Chinese video-sharing app from government devices in recent weeks. Photo: AP

People wearing fancy dress looks at their phones during a pride parade in Sydney last month. Australian security agencies hadn’t recommended a TikTok ban ‘to date’, the country’s treasurer said. Photo: EPA-EFE

Singapore TikTokker Zoe Gabriel mocked over US$60 handbag is now a Charles & Keith model

After facing social media backlash for describing a Charles & Keith handbag as ‘luxury’, 17-year-old Zoe Gabriel has been chosen to model a bag for the brand’s International Women’s Day campaign. Photo: Instagram/@zoeaaleah

Zoe Gabriel came under fire for posting about her US$60 “luxury” Charles & Keith bag. Photo: Tiktok/@zohtaco

US House panel approves bill to let Joe Biden ban TikTok

The White House this week gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal devices and systems. Photo: Reuters

Tik Tok chief executive Chew Shou Zi speaking at an event in New York in November. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Australasia

The short video platform will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March
TikTok has come under scrutiny from Western governments due to fears that user data from the Chinese app could end up in the hands of Beijing


The Chinese short video platform will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March.


New Zealand to ban TikTok on lawmakers’ devices over cybersecurity worries

The short video platform will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March TikTok has come under scrutiny from Western governments due to fears that user data from the Chinese app could end up in the hands of Beijing

The short video platform will be banned on all devices with access to New Zealand’s parliamentary network by the end of March

TikTok has come under scrutiny from Western governments due to fears that user data from the Chinese app could end up in the hands of Beijing