"There are many different apps that you can load onto your phone … Understanding exactly what the challenges that these apps pose, what they are asking for and how they are reaching into our lives is incredibly important. That is why I asked the National Cyber Security Center to look into this," Tugendhat told local broadcaster.
Tugendhat noted that the government would wait for the results of the NCSC analysis before choosing the right approach regarding the use of the application on government devices.
Currently, TikTok access from government devices is prohibited in more than half of US states due to security concerns about user data being accessed by the Chinese government. In addition, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has approved a bill that could allow the US government to ban TikTok or any other foreign app if they are believed to be a threat to national security.
In February, TikTok's use was banned by the Canadian government and the European Union's Commission and Parliament on all devices used by their employees for work.
At the same time, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said that London was not going to follow the EU and the US in banning officials from using the TikTok app on work devices as such a ban required a "significant evidence base," which the UK government did not have.