France has joined a growing list of countries that have decided to ban TikTok on government-issued phones. The ban, which is effective immediately, also includes Netflix and video game app Candy Crush.
French Minister for Transformation and Public Administration Stanislas Guerini’s office told The Associated Press that Instagram, Twitter and some dating and gaming apps were also banned.
The French government maintained that “recreational” apps do not have enough security to be on state devices.
This comes as several nations and institutions have banned TikTok from government-issued devices, including the U.S., the U.K., the E.U., Australia and New Zealand.
It also follows Thursday’s hearing where TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress on ways his company plans to address the security concerns raised about the app, amid vocal lawmaker criticism.
The U.S. government is also contemplating banning the app nationwide if TikTok’s Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell its stake to an American company, a request the Chinese government is strongly against.
On Thursday, Chinese officials said they would “resolutely oppose” the force sale of TikTok, adding that such as deal “would seriously damage investors from multiple countries including China” and hurt the country’s “confidence to invest in the United States.”
