Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok Inc., speaks on the Bloomberg Recent Economy Forum in Singapore, Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
Bryan van der Beek | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has banned its employees from using TikTok on smartphones amid concerns from Western governments in regards to the risks the platform could pose to national security.
The commission said employees would now not find a way to put in the Chinese app on company and private devices, citing concerns about the way it handles user data.
“This measure is designed to guard the Commission from cybersecurity threats and activities that might be used for cyberattacks on the Commission’s corporate environment,” the Commission said in a press release published on Thursday.
“The security developments of other social media platforms may also be repeatedly reviewed,” it added.
The move underscores the more aggressive tone Europe has taken recently regarding TikTok, which has eluded regulatory scrutiny on the bloc for a very long time. US lawmakers voted to ban the app in December, with some calling for the service to be banned nationwide.
Western officials are concerned in regards to the Chinese government’s potential influence over TikTok – specifically, the chance that it could allow Beijing to spy on residents. TikTok confessed that data on European users could also be available to employees based in China, but denies that it could ever share such information with the Chinese government.
Last month, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton warned that the app might be blocked if it doesn’t comply with the upcoming Digital Services Act, which this summer will impose strict requirements on TikTok, Twitter and a number of other other platforms to remove illegal content, curb misinformation, and higher protect minors.
“The European Commission’s suspension of TikTok from corporate devices is mistaken and based on fundamental misunderstandings,” Caroline Greer, TikTok’s head of public policy, said on Twitter. “Now we have requested a gathering to make clear the matter.”
“We proceed to enhance our approach to data security – creating three data centers in Europe to store user data locally, further limiting worker access to data, and minimizing data flow outside of Europe.”
TikTok will not be yet a large on the dimensions of corporations like Meta, Alphabet and Amazon on the subject of social media, promoting and e-commerce. But its growth within the region shouldn’t be underestimated. The platform now has 150 million users in Europe, based on an organization statement last week.
TikTok, which employs 5,000 people in Europe, has sought to allay regulators’ concerns by unveiling plans to migrate European users’ data to expanding data centers in Ireland. Last week, the corporate announced it could open a 3rd data center within the country.
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