France bans TikTok, Twitter from government staff phones

PARIS (AP) — France says it’s banning the “recreational″ use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on government employees’ phones. It cited concern about insufficient data security measures. The move Friday follows similar restrictions on TikTok in democratic countries amid fears about the popular video-sharing app’s Chinese connections. But the French decision also encompassed other platforms that are widely used by government officials to communicate with the public. Exceptions will be allowed. Western governments worry Chinese authorities could force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., to hand over data on international users. The company’s CEO this week pushed back on assertions that TikTok or ByteDance are tools of the Chinese government.