TikTok banned from UK Parliament over security concerns

The UK Parliament has banned Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from its network over security concerns.

A spokesman said the app, used by a number of British MPs, would also be blocked from devices issued to staff.

It follows a decision by the UK government to ban ministers from using the app on their work phones following a security review.

TikTok has strongly denied allegations that it hands users' data to the Chinese government.

In a statement after the UK government ban was announced, it said it wanted to be "judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors".

A spokesman for Parliament said cyber security was its "top priority," but it would not comment on specific details of its policy.

It is understood the ban means MPs and guests to Parliament will not be able to access TikTok on devices connected to official Wi-Fi accounts.

Instead, if they want to use the app on their phones they will have to connect to their own mobile data provider.