Ireland asks government employees to remove TikTok from their work related devices

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has instructed government department and agency employees in Ireland to uninstall TikTok from their work-related devices. According to a report from the Irish Times, the NCSC's decision was based on a thorough risk analysis that took into account the experiences of the European Commission, the European Union, the UK, and other organisations and is consistent with procedures followed in other nations.

Several countries, including the UK and the Netherlands, have banned the use of the TikTok app on government computers due to concerns about data protection and privacy, stemming from the company's relationship with the Chinese government. According to a spokesperson from the Department of Communications, which oversees the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the ban on TikTok extends to all government departments, agencies, and entities under their jurisdiction.

Decision taken after thorough risk assessment 

The spokesperson further stated that this recommendation was based on a thorough risk assessment conducted by the NCSC, in consultation with relevant stakeholders such as the Data Protection Commission (DPC), the European Commission, and other Member States. The department views this ban as a complementary measure to existing security protocols aligned with the 2021 Cyber Security Baseline Standards Framework, aimed at enhancing the security and resilience of ICT systems in the public sector.

In February, the European Commission issued a directive to its workforce instructing them to immediately uninstall any commission-related apps from all work-related and personal devices. Popular apps like Skype for Business and the commission's internal email were scheduled to be removed from devices that still had TikTok, a social media app controlled by Beijing-based ByteDance, starting in mid-March. In response to the commission's decision, TikTok expressed disappointment and called it "misguided" and based on "fundamental misconceptions".