The government has announced a ban on the installation and use of “recreational” applications such as TikTok, Netflix, Twitter or Candy Crush on civil servants’ work phones.
TikTok, Netflix, Twitter and even the Candy Crush video game will no longer have to be among the apps downloaded to civil servants’ work phones. For the 2.5 million civil servants, it is now forbidden to install or use these so-called “recreational” applications, as announced by the Minister of Transformation and the Civil Service, Stanislas GueriniFriday, March 24.
To guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and our public officials, the @governmentFR decided to ban recreational apps like TikTok, on the work phones of state officials. @jnbarrot pic.twitter.com/avxtpKZ6uu
— Stanislas Guerini (@StanGuerini) March 24, 2023
These applications present “risks in terms of cybersecurity and data protection of public officials and the administration”, the government said in a press release.
Pointing the finger at recreational applications, the government has not yet drawn up a precise list of prohibited applications, nor announced the number of business phones concerned. It should be noted that only a few individual exemptions may be granted for institutional communication needs, for example, according to the ministry, since many accounts are used to distribute content to the general public who are always fond of social networks.
TikTok already banned by several countries
Like the Parliament and the European Commission, which have already banned the social network TikTok to civil servants and employees of the institutions, in February and March. The app is suspected of harvesting users’ personal data.
In early January, Joe Biden also banned TikTok on the devices of US federal government officials. Since then, Canada, the United Kingdom and Belgium have followed suit.
