Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Call for TikTok security check before HQ decision

Call for TikTok security check before HQ decision

An influential backbench MP has called on the government to carry out a security review of TikTok before its Chinese owner decides whether to base the app in the UK.

Neil O'Brien - co-founder of the China Research Group of Tory MPs - said the intelligence services should publish a report into the matter.

President Trump is threatening to ban TikTok in the US.

This has forced the app to ditch plans to establish its headquarters there.

TikTok had been expected to pick California or New York - where it already has offices - after appointing an American ex-Disney executive as its chief executive in May.

However, the US president has since given it an ultimatum to sell its local business to an American firm.

"I set a date of around 15 September, at which point it's going to be out of business in the United States... unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal," said Donald Trump on Monday.

He added that "a very substantial portion of that price" should go to the US Treasury "because we're making it possible for this deal to happen".

Microsoft has confirmed it is in talks to buy TikTok's service in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - all the members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, except the UK.

The app's Chinese parent company Bytedance has confirmed this had forced a rethink.

"In light of the current situation, Bytedance has been evaluating the possibility of establishing TikTok's headquarters outside of the US, to better serve our global users," it said in a brief statement.

The Sun newspaper had reported on the weekend that the UK government had already approved TikTok setting up its HQ in London, and an announcement would be made this week.

However a source told the BBC that Bytedance had yet to make a final decision, although London was on a short list of possibilities.

Dublin and Singapore have been reported to be the other options.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said any decision would be a "commercial one" taken by Bytedance, and added that Boris Johnson had not discussed the issue with President Trump.

'Deep dive'


The China Research Group represents a group of about 50 MPs who are concerned about Beijing's influence in the UK.

It previously helped pressure the government into a rethink on Huawei, and has also raised concerns about plans to let Chinese companies invest in UK nuclear power stations.





Mr O'Brien said he was not opposed in principle to the idea of TikTok being based in London, but said a "deep dive" into its code should be carried out first.

"It would be useful for the government to use the kind of specialists in cyber-security that only it has access to, to give us a definitive view of whether the app is safe," he told the BBC.

"[If it is] we should welcome investment by TikTok in the country.

"But if there are problems, as some media reports have suggested, with either political interference in its algorithms and the content that's shown, or about where the data is ending up and a lack of security - well that would raise a whole bunch of other questions."

TikTok has said that it strictly abides by local laws.

It currently stores data from its international users on servers based in the US and Singapore. This keeps it separate from that of users in mainland China, who use TikTok's sister app Douyin.

Location data


While the government has not commented on a security review, as a matter of course GCHQ looks into any cyber-issue flagged as a national security threat by the US.

Two points are believed to be of particular concern to the agency.

Firstly, whether Chinese spies could get access to the geo-location data - including GPS coordinates and internet addresses - logged by the app.

Secondly, the degree to which the app could be subverted to push certain political content at users.

While TikTok says it would not send international users' data back to China, there is concern it would be compelled to do so if Beijing invoked its National Intelligence Law.

It obligates Chinese citizens to "support, assist and cooperate" with the country's intelligence services and to keep such activity secret.

Such concerns have to be weighed against the prestige of hosting TikTok's headquarters, and the degree to which doing so might help repair relations with Beijing following a ban of the use of Huawei's 5G kit.

"If TikTok decided to base its new HQ in London, it would certainly cement it as a global tech hub," commented Chloe Colliver from the Institute of Strategic Dialogue think tank.

"There are already some very prominent start-ups, but TikTok is one of the fastest growing tech companies in the world."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×