TikTok to only be used on govt-issued devices on a ‘need-to’ basis in SG

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The Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) have stated that TikTok will only be allowed to be used by public officers on a need-to basis, such as for communications officers, according to media reports. It clarified that the app will be subject to the same existing policies in place for similar apps such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, according to The Straits Times.

The policy states that these apps can only be used for work on government-issued devices and that only approved apps can be downloaded on these devices. Government-issued devices also reportedly have special security configurations to safeguard data, according to Channel News Asia (CNA). MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information.

The announcement comes even as multiple local politicians such as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin use TikTok to disseminate information and connect with younger Singaporeans. Each of them have thousands of followers on their TikTok accounts and their videos are largely well-received.

Globally, more governments have also taken action to secure their data against Beijing-headquartered company ByteDance. So far, TikTok has been banned from government-issued devices in the United States, Canada and Belgium, among other places as fears rise over the fact that user data collected by TikTok could be used by the Chinese government.

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The news comes shortly after it was revealed that TikTok now has additional responsibilities as it gets added to a list of platforms legally required to follow obligations set out by Singapore's Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office. With the new rules, TikTok will now need to help combat fake news, prevent abuse by bots and ensure online transparency for political advertising, according to The Straits Times. TikTok joins other companies such as Meta, Twitter, Baidu and WeChat in executing these duties.

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