TikTok is once again in the eye of the storm now that the European Commission has decided to ban the app from its official mobile devices.
TikTok , ByteDance ‘s short video application, is once again at the center of controversy due to concerns that government entities around the world have regarding its use as a measure by China to spy on other nations. The European Commission decided to prohibit the installation and use of this platform on official mobile devices, thus marking the last attempt to veto it on cell phones under these conditions.
In a statement issued on Thursday, February 23, the officials noted that this measure will only apply to mobile devices that are under the supervision of the executive branch of the European Union, further mentioning that this is due to a general concern about cyber security that have with the social network.
“This measure is intended to protect the Commission against threats and cybersecurity actions that can be exploited for cyberattacks against the organization’s corporate environment ,” the statement said.
TikTok is again banned by a government entity
For its part, TikTok described the decision made by the European Commission as “wrong and based on fundamental misconceptions,” further adding that it is “disappointed with the move.” A spokesperson for the platform told CNN that the company tried to contact the entity to “set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the European Union who visit TikTok every month . “
“We continue to enhance our approach to data security, including establishing three data centers in Europe to store user data locally; further reduce employee access to data; and minimize data flows outside of Europe ,” the spokesperson said. TikTok previously disclosed to users on the mainland that workers at its headquarters in China were capable of accessing user data from the European Union .
TikTok in the sights of the governments of the world
Thierry Breton , head of industry for the European Union , said that “the commission’s corporate board of directors made this decision because it had some reasons for doing so” when asked about the TikTok ban on official mobile devices during a conference. press release on February 23. In addition, Breton mentioned that the European Commission prioritizes cyber security without adding further comments on the decision.
For her part, Sonya Gospodinova , spokesperson for the European Union , stressed that “the commission regularly issues recommendations on the use of different applications by staff” while Eric Mamer, also spokesperson , said the following: “we are constantly analyzing cyber security of the commission’s digital applications and our facilities and making decisions, and we do not make public the motive behind these decisions for obvious reasons . “
Without a doubt, this decision complicates the situation of TikTok in view of the governments of the world since it was also banned in several US states . in previous months, also on the grounds that there is concern that user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government .