Military personnel could still use the social media app TikTok on their personal devices as long as these are not connected to the military network and they do not post content that would compromise the camp’s security, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday.
AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Padilla made the clarification following the disclosure that members of the armed services have been banned from using TikTok on their work and personal phones due to cybersecurity risks.
She said the AFP does not authorize devices connected to the military network. Personnel are also prohibited from compromising the communication security and the physical security of their installations.
“Just for a point of clarification: ang binabawal natin is specifically those that are connected to the military network. ‘Yung sa personal nila, of course that’s their personal [device], syempre inkling nila ‘yun, choice nila ‘yun,” Padilla said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
(What we prohibit specifically are devices connected to the military network. It’s their choice and inkling if they will use their personal device.)
“Sa kanila ‘yun [that’s theirs] but of course they have to do the side of caution that they have to carry themselves in a manner that when they do TikTok, siempre as officers and gentlemen and ladies… That’s what we remind them,” Padilla said.
The AFP official said that personnel who violate the directive will undergo an investigation and face possible sanctions from their commanding officers.
However, she emphasized that the directive is nothing new as it is being implemented in the AFP since 2021.
Padilla earlier pointed out that TikTok and other free apps ask users for access to phone features like camera, microphone, and messages even though their services have nothing to do with these functions.
She warned that these apps “have the capability to turn on our microphones, to look at us and watch us while we sleep and turn on our cameras, access our SMS sent messages to our contacts because we gave them permission when we downloaded these applications.”—Giselle Ombay/RF, GMA Integrated News
