TikTok Banned By European Commission From All Corporate Devices
TikTok has suffered another setback, this time in Europe. The European Commission has banned TikTok on official devices that are being used by the staff. A spokesperson told news agency AFP on Tuesday that this move comes amidst concerns over data protection surrounding TikTok.
With this ban, no European Commission staff can use the Chinese app on their personal devices including smartphones on which official apps may be installed, a report by Euractiv claimed.
The video-centric social media platform has been under fire from government agencies all over the world including India where the app remains banned over national security concerns. But unlike in India, the app will be available to download for all users except those working for the European Commission.
Why ban TikTok?
EU's IT service has asked all European Commission employees to uninstall TikTok from personal devices with corporate apps. The request to uninstall the Chinese app was sent to employees via email on Thursday morning.
The email, seen by Euractiv, stated that TikTok app was suspended for all corporate employees and that they would be required to do the same before March 15. For employees who do not comply with this request, corporate apps like email and Skype for Business will stop working.
Also read:?2.5 Years After Getting Banned, Short Video App TikTok Lays Off Entire Remaining Staff In India
The European Commission has justified the ban on grounds of data protection concerns related to TikTok, an app owned by China-based ByteDance. The ban is intended to protect European Commission data and systems from cybersecurity threats.
A TikTok spokesperson said that they were "disappointed" with the decision, calling privacy concerns surrounding the app "fundamental misconceptions."
In November 2022, TikTok claimed that user data my be accessed by employees in China. Besides the European Commission, TikTok remains banned in the United States at the state and federal levels.
Also read:?TikTok Tells European Users That Chinese Employees Can Access Their Data
It was only last month that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew met top European Union officials, where he was told that the company has a long way to go before regaining the bloc's trust.
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