WhatsApp and Google Drive banned
Hong Kong has banned WhatsApp, Google Drive and WeChat, calling them risky. Along with messaging apps, this ban was imposed on Google’s cloud storage platform, especially for government employees and offices. Regular users in Hong Kong will continue to use them. Even before this, social media platforms had been banned in government officials and offices in many countries.
IT guidelines issued
According to the AP news agency, the Hong Kong government has issued a computer security guideline for public officials, which prohibits the use of these three applications. We tell you that the Hong Kong government has made this decision due to the data leak that came to light at the beginning of the year. The data breach leaked personal data of thousands of people from the Hong Kong government department, causing much uproar.
According to guidelines issued by Hong Kong’s Digital Policy Office, government employees will not use apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat and Google Drive on their official phones, laptops and PCs. However, to use these apps on personal phones, government employees will need to get approval from their reporting manager. This measure taken by the Hong Kong government has been welcomed by many security researchers.
Hong Kong is not the first country where government employees have been banned from using social media apps. Even before this, many Chinese apps, including TikTok, have been banned for use by government employees in the United States.
Big security risk
The government says government data exchanged on social media and cloud services reaches third-party providers outside the government, which can pose a security risk. Much of this data is shared between government officials and is highly confidential. In such a situation, this sensitive information reaches the WhatsApp or Google Drive cloud server. Given this risk, the Hong Kong government has prohibited the use of these applications by employees working in government departments.
Also Read: Infinix launches a budget phone with 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage and 5000 mAh battery
