Soldiers are now banned from using the social media app TikTok due to cybersecurity risks, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla said the ban covers work and personal phones of military personnel.
“In AFP, the use of TikTok has been banned already. So we are not allowed to use TikTok. For one, because it’s an application made by China but is not used by China. So that in itself, we say go figure,” she said.
“We have a directive that we are not allowed to use TikTok. So we follow it to the letter,” Padilla added.
Padilla said TikTok asks users for access to phone features like camera, microphone, and messages even though its services have nothing to do with these functions.
In September last year, the National Security Council said it is studying the possibility of banning TikTok among the government’s uniformed personnel to avoid possible “data leak.”
