THE UK Parliament has shut down its TikTok account and deleted all the content after MPs flagged concerns about the social media firm’s links to the Chinese state and data privacy.
The popular app, which is owned by a Chinese parent firm, was being used in a pilot to try to interest children and young people in the work of Westminster.
It follows China’s decision to sanction seven MPs and peers putting the relationship between London and Beijing under severe strain.
A Parliament spokesman said: “Based on Member feedback, we are closing the pilot UK Parliament TikTok account earlier than we had planned.
“The account was a pilot initiative while we tested the platform as a way of reaching younger audiences with relevant content about Parliament.”
The parliament’s TikTok account has now been locked and its content deleted, with followers greeted by a message stating “This account is now closed. Find us at www.parliament.uk.”
TikTok’s parent firm ByteDance is based in China and MPs had raised concerns about user data being sent to Beijing.
In a letter to the Speakers of the Commons and Lords, reported by the Politico website, a group of MPs who had been sanctioned by the Beijing government for speaking out about human rights abuses complained about the TikTok account.
They said: “The prospect of Xi Jinping’s government having access to personal data on our children’s phones ought to be a cause for major concern.”
Theo Bertram, the app’s vice president for government relations and public policy in Europe, told MPs in July “we have never been asked to provide TikTok user data to the Chinese government, nor would we if asked”.
TikTok does not operate in China and the app’s data is stored in the US and Singapore.
The firm has offered to meet any MP who wants to know more about the way users’ data is handled.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith welcomed the closure of the TikTok account, which followed pressure from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
He told the PA news agency: “We are pleased that Parliament, immediately they were told, understood there was a problem and shut it down.
“It’s important for others to look at that now and we need to start talking to people about not using TikTok.”
A TikTok spokeswoman said: “While it is disappointing that Parliament will no longer be able to connect with the millions of people who use TikTok in the UK, we reiterate the offer to reassure those Members of Parliament who raised concerns and clarify any inaccuracies about our platform.”
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