Space Travel News
CYBER WARS
Senior UK MP warns users off Chinese-run TikTok app
Senior UK MP warns users off Chinese-run TikTok app
by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) Feb 5, 2023

The head of an influential parliamentary committee in Britain on Sunday advised people not to use the Chinese social media app TikTok because of data security concerns.

"There is a reason why China has this app...," Conservative deputy Alicia Kearns, who chairs parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Sky News television.

"Our data is a key vulnerability and China is building a tech-totalitarian state on the back of our data. So we have to get far more serious about protecting ourselves."

Kearns referred in passing to the recent incident in which the US shot down a Chinese ballon off its Atlantic coast. China has denied US allegations that it was being used for espionage purposes.

Kearns said the bigger concern was "data penetration" via Chinese companies, and the way Beijing was using that data to intimidate "those who sought refuge in the UK and around the world".

Asked if she was saying people should delete TikTok from their phones, she answered: "Without question... It is not worth having that vulnerability on your phone."

Kearns has been a longterm critic of China's intelligence activities and what she says is its abuse of technology to that end.

A spokesman for TikTok responded to Kearns's allegations on Sunday.

"TikTok is enjoyed by millions of people across the UK, and we want to be clear that they can trust us with their data.

"We're taking steps like storing UK user data in our data centre operations in Ireland, starting this year; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe."

Relations between London and Beijing have been tense for a number of years.

Points of contention have included China's crackdown in the former British colony of Hong Kong, and Britain's refusal to grant a Chinese company Huawei access to its 5G network because of security concerns.

Last October, a British-based Hong Kong pro-democracy activist accused Chinese diplomats of assaulting him during a protest outside China's consulate in Manchester, northern England.

During the ensuing diplomatic row, six Chinese envoys left Britain and returned to China. Kearns at the time accused them of having "fled the UK like cowards, making clear their guilt".

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CYBER WARS
TAU establishes the first satellite observatory for quantum optical communication
Tel-Aviv, Israel (SPX) Feb 03, 2023
The Center for Quantum Science and Technology at Tel Aviv University has built the first ground station in Israel - and among the most advanced in the world - for tracking, sensing, hyperspectral imaging, and optical and quantum communication with satellites in orbit around the Earth. The station includes a satellite observatory dome with a diameter of 4.25 meters, a tracking system, a primary high-speed camera and secondary tracking cameras, laser equipment, single-photon detectors, and a tracking robo ... read more

CYBER WARS
CYBER WARS
Making the Most of Limited Data: Sols 3278-3279

The faults and valleys of a Martian volcanic highland plateau

Researchers complete first real-world study of Martian helicopter dust dynamics

Perseverance completes Mars Sample Depot

CYBER WARS
Turning astronauts into Moon explorers

Too hot and too cold; now Moon it could be just right for humans

Data from the first SLS flight to prepare NASA for future Artemis missions

New photos from China's lunar rover released with New Year blessings

CYBER WARS
NASA's Juno Team assessing camera after 48th flyby of Jupiter

Webb spies Chariklo ring system with high-precision technique

Europe's JUICE spacecraft ready to explore Jupiter's icy moons

Exotic water ice contributes to understanding of magnetic anomalies on Neptune and Uranus

CYBER WARS
Two nearby exoplanets might be habitable

Will machine learning help us find extraterrestrial life

AI joins search for ET

Watch distant worlds dance around their sun

CYBER WARS
SpaceX successfully launches 53 Starlink satellites

Lockheed Martin team up with DARPA and AFRL for hypersonics

Columbia disaster that scuttled the space shuttle

NASA validates revolutionary propulsion design for deep space missions

CYBER WARS
China's Deep Space Exploration Lab eyes top global talents

Chinese astronauts send Spring Festival greetings from space station

China to launch 200-plus spacecraft in 2023

China's space industry hits new heights

CYBER WARS
Curious comet's rare close approach

SwRI-led Lucy team announces new asteroid target

Tiny asteroid to pass close by Earth today

Phew! Truck-sized asteroid misses Earth

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.