The New Zealand Parliament outlaws TikTok

The popular Chinese video-sharing app TikTok has been banned from all devices that can access New Zealand parliament's network, the legislature's chief executive has announced. This follows the UK government's decision to ban British ministers and civil servants from using the app, which is owned by Beijing-based tech conglomerate ByteDance. New Zealand's parliamentary service has informed members and staff that TikTok will be removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network by March 31. Exceptions from the ban are possible for those who require the app to "perform their democratic duties." National Party member and co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), Simon O'Connor, described the decision to ban the app as "a good one." The ACT party, which has been actively using the Chinese app to promote its message, told The Guardian that it had been anticipating the move.