'In this era of heightened geo-political sensitivity, nation-state actors will be looking for every conceivable opportunity to breach cybersecurity boundaries and gain access to sensitive data. 'This is particularly relevant in the case of public sector workers responsible for sensitive government matters and national security. The risk of a breach shouldn’t be underplayed.

'Despite the Chinese-owned company stating that it operates no differently from other social media, Governmental security is under scrutiny in an era where the prevalence and sophistication of attacks is intensifying. Simon Mullis, cyber security expert and CTO at Venari Security said:“News that the UK Government has banned TikTok on staff devices is an interesting development for the cyber security space and follows the EU Commission and US government bans of the app. 'The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing.” TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan told the Associated Press: “If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.

However, the company has dismissed the report and argued that disinvestment would do nothing to boost national security.

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