TIKTOK, a popular Chinese video-sharing app, may be banned in the Philippines if it is proven that it is being used for espionage, a Marcos administration official said over the weekend.
“‘Galing kasi sa China ‘yang mga apps na ‘yan, malaki ang posibilidad na nakukuha nila ‘yung mga data pati mga private details ng mga nagsu-subscribe dyan,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said.
“Hindi pa naman natin ‘yan sinasabi [na iba-ban ang TikTok sa Pilipinas]. Doon na lang muna tayo sa mga pamahalaan, opisina na involved sa security matters. At kung mayroon tayong makitang ibang development saka tayo magsasagawa ng adjustment,” he added.
The National Security Council is currently studying whether to prohibit uniformed personnel from using the app after several countries, like the United States and Australia, moved to ban TikTok on government devices due to privacy and security issues.
TikTok, owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, has repeatedly denied allegations that it is sharing data with the Chinese government.
Año also raised concerns about the recent hacking incidents that affected government agencies such as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
He said he had tasked Jonathan Malaya, the NSC’s assistant director general, with recommending ways the government could better protect data from hacking.
“Inatasan natin si Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya upang mag-submit ng report [kung] papaano ba ang gagawin natin ditong memo o polisiya para siguradong maprotektahan natin ang ating mga data, ‘yung ating digital system kasi [nakakadala] na ‘yung hacking na nangyayari,” he said.
