British soldiers posting on TikTok are jeopardising our military security, say defence chiefs
- Government recently moved to ban TikTok app from all state-issued phones
- Defence chiefs warn against the Ministry of Defence official account still online
Soldiers are jeopardising Britain’s military security by posting TikTok videos of military manoeuvres, experts have warned.
Even though the Government has banned the Chinese app from State-issued phones, Defence chiefs are still running an official TikTok account – and troops are using personal handsets to upload footage of themselves in battle and training.
Specialists fear that sensitive personal data about soldiers – including their locations – could find their way into Beijing’s hands.
Concerns have also been raised that clips posted by troops can give away clues about facilities at Army bases.
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former intelligence officer and journalist, said resolutely: ‘TikTok should be banned in the Armed Forces.’
MoD bosses opened an account, called @UKgovministryofdefence, days before the Government banned the app on work devices belonging to Ministers and civil servants.
READ MORE: ‘Don’t take away my TikTok!’ Gen Zers oppose banning the China-owned platform, even when they know it’s exploiting their data and spreading ‘propaganda or misinformation’
The Mail on Sunday has seen hundreds of videos posted by British soldiers.
These include some claiming to have been posted from Estonia.
Nearly a thousand British troops are deployed there as part of a NATO defence force, which is on standby amid Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
There are also clips apparently posted by soldiers in Mali, where they were fighting ISIS terrorists.
Last night, former Tory leader and Army lieutenant Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘Why does the MoD need a TikTok account?
‘Of course they have to close the account down when the Government has banned TikTok from all devices.
‘It’s not for me to comment on the soldiers.
‘But I think TikTok should be banned on both official and personal devices on security grounds.’
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former military intelligence officer, said: ‘TikTok should be banned in the Armed Forces.
‘A lot of service personnel have access to unclassified military email via phones so the security threat is huge.’
The remarks came after a week which saw Parliament block TikTok from its internet network for fear that information from devices could be harvested by Beijing.
The US – which blocked its army from using TikTok in 2019 – is considering a nationwide ban on the app.
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg meets NATO troops after a joint press conference at the Tapa Army Base on March 1, 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia. The Mail on Sunday has seen videos posted by British soldiers, including some claiming to have been posted from Estonia.
Last night, an MoD spokesman said: ‘The Army provides comprehensive guidance to personnel on their use of social media.
‘The Army does not allow the use of TikTok in an official capacity, on MoD devices or personal devices.
‘Soldiers will be held to account where their usage contravenes our standards, or they bring the Army into disrepute.’
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