What's happened
The BBC has urged its staff to delete the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from corporate mobile phones.
Why it matters
The decision is based on concerns raised by government authorities worldwide regarding data privacy and security. The move reflects a sharp turn in attitude from the BBC, which since last year has embraced TikTok as a way of reaching new audiences online. The app has been banned on government phones in the UK and elsewhere. The move comes after the UK government banned the app on government-issued phones amid fears of sensitive data being accessed by the Chinese government, owing to its ownership by the Chinese internet company ByteDance.
What the papers say
All sources report the same event and provide similar background information.
How we got here
TikTok has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Countries imposing bans include the US, Canada, New Zealand and Belgium, while the same applies to anyone working at the European Commission. The app has been banned on government phones in the UK and elsewhere. The move comes after the UK government banned the app on government-issued phones amid fears of sensitive data being accessed by the Chinese government, owing to its ownership by the Chinese internet company ByteDance.
More on these topics
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TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Headquartered at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, it is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
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ByteDance Ltd. is a Chinese multinational internet technology company headquartered in Beijing. It was founded by Zhang Yiming in 2012. ByteDance is reportedly worth over US$100 billion as of May 2020.
ByteDance's core product, Toutiao, is a content platf