TikTok has today announced a new partnership with the British Olympic and Paralympic teams, including British athletes using the app to connect with fans around and during the upcoming Games.
As per TikTok:

"The partnership will allow Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes to share their inspiring stories, reach new audiences, and build their own personal fan base on TikTok, all while working together to support the entire teams across the UK as they head into Paris 2024.".

The initiative will support hundreds of Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes preparing for the Games by TikTok hosting content workshops, offering athletes valuable media training and content creation guidance, aimed at improving use of TikTok specifically.

In addition to skills workshops, TikTok will also be running purpose-built content creation spaces in both the Team GB House and the ParalympicsGB House, allowing another way of connecting the athletes with their supporters inside the app.

It is an interesting collaboration, especially considering the UK Government's ongoing concerns around the potential security risks of TikTok use.

Already, TikTok has been banned from government-owned devices in the region, based on a Cabinet Office Ministers' security review, which found that there was reason to be concerned about the vulnerability of sensitive information in the app, as it could be accessed by third parties.

The app is currently under further review by the National Cyber Security Centre, which could see even more restrictions enacted in future.

Yet, at the same time, TikTok does offer an important connection to younger demographic groups likely to drive engagement and sentiment around the Olympics.

I mean, the latter is part of a broader issue about the application, which is its power to exploit users due to its popularity. However, UK Olympic teams seem to feel that they can safely use the app and further increase their popularity among the new sports generation.

Whether or not other nations similarly pursue this route of encouraging these deals, one suspects the goodwill of access is outweighing the concerns: at any rate, certainly so quickly. For his part, President Joe Biden did yesterday finally post for the first time on TikTok; and perhaps his re-election campaign will look to this venue for enhanced messaging to voters.

That's despite the U.S. Government still weighing a full ban of the app due to concerns about its links to the Chinese Government.
It's a bit of mixed messaging as to the actual risks posed, but seemingly, even government agencies are comfortable using the app within certain limits.