LONDON — British authorities mentioned Thursday that they’re banning the Chinese language-owned video-sharing app TikTok from authorities cellphones on safety grounds, following related strikes by the U.S. and European Union.

Cupboard Workplace Minister Oliver Dowden advised Parliament that the ban will apply to work telephones and different units utilized by authorities ministers and civil servants. The ban doesn’t apply to private telephones and units.

The U.S. authorities mandated final month that staff of federal companies need to delete TikTok from all government-issued cell units. Congress, the White Home, U.S. armed forces and greater than half of U.S. states had already banned the app. The European Union, Belgium and others have additionally quickly banned the app from worker telephones.

The strikes had been prompted by rising issues that TikTok’s mum or dad firm, ByteDance, would give consumer knowledge equivalent to looking historical past and site to the Chinese language authorities, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.

The corporate has insisted that such issues are primarily based on “misinformation.”

China additionally accused the US on Thursday of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok following studies that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese language homeowners to promote their stakes within the standard video-sharing app.

Final 12 months, Britain’s Parliament shut down its TikTok account — meant to succeed in youthful audiences with Parliament content material — simply days after its launch following issues from lawmakers.