France Bans TikTok for Civil Servants, Alongside Candy Crush and Netflix

France has officially banned civil servants from downloading all types of social media, gaming, and video-streaming apps on their work phones, Politico reports.

Citing cybersecurity and privacy concerns, the French government has not only banned TikTok but has also targeted apps and platforms from Europe and the U.S., including Netflix.

Les applications récréatives comme TikTok sont désormais interdites, avec effet immédiat, sur tous les téléphones que l’État fournit aux agents publics.@StanGuerini pic.twitter.com/3KMA6BercF

— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot)

March 24, 2023

According to a statement released today, exceptions can, however, be granted for “institutional communications” purposes.

“These recreational applications are not designed to guarantee a sufficient level of cybersecurity to be deployed on the administration’s digital tools,” said Digital Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Barrot added that not only TikTok, but also CandyCrush and Netflix are affected by this measure.

Earlier this week, the country’s top officials encouraged fellow MPs to limit their use of social media apps and messaging services such as Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Signal.

During the past month, the U.K., the European Commission, and Canada have announced bans on TikTok. The United States is considering a potential ban on the app as well.

Canada’s provincial and municipal governments across the country have also announced bans of their own. Kitchener, Lincoln, and Vaughan on Monday are the latest cities to ban TikTok on government-issued devices.

Yesterday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the U.S. Congress, noting that his company plans to base its U.S. data operations domestically and allow its code to be reviewed.