BRUSSELS: Central European Union government agencies on Thursday banned their staff from installing TikTok on work devices amid data protection concerns, a move the company expressed anger at. .
TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is Chinese, has faced increased Western scrutiny in recent months over how much access Beijing has to user data.
The ban affects staff from the European Commission and the European Council, which represents member states, but the European Parliament has not yet made a decision.
The new rules mean staff cannot use the video-sharing app on work devices and personal devices, such as phones, that have official EU email and communication apps installed.
The commission said its employees should remove the app as soon as possible and do so by March 15.
EU spokeswoman Sonya Gospodinova said the Commission’s Corporate Management Board, the EU’s executive arm, made the decision for security reasons.
“The purpose of this initiative is to protect the Commission from cybersecurity threats and operations that could be leveraged to launch cyber attacks against the Commission’s corporate environment,” he said.
European Council spokesman Berend Letts told JEE News it would “uninstall the application on corporate devices and request staff to uninstall it from personal mobile devices with access to corporate services”.
“We believe this suspension is misleading and based on fundamental misunderstandings,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
‘Disappointed’Â
EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said he was informed of the Commission’s decision, pointing to cybersecurity risks.
“As an institution, the European Commission has, since the beginning of the mandate, put a very strong focus on cybersecurity, the security of our colleagues and, of course, everyone who works at the Commission,” Bratton told reporters.
In November, TikTok acknowledged that some staff in China could access European users’ data.
However, the company denies that the Chinese government has any control or access.
TikTok stressed on Thursday that it protects the data of its 125 million monthly users in the European Union and is taking steps to strengthen data protection.
He later said he had requested a meeting with the commission to “set the record straight.”
“We continue to expand our approach to data security, including establishing three data centers in Europe to store customer data locally; further increasing employee access to data,” the firm said. reducing; and reducing the flow of data out of Europe,” the firm said.
The United States banned the app from federal government devices last year, and some US lawmakers are trying to ban TikTok from operating in the United States.
Last month, the Dutch government reportedly advised public officials to stay away from the app over similar concerns.
The European Parliament said Thursday that it is “monitoring and evaluating all possible app-related data breaches” and will consider the commission’s assessment before making recommendations.
Tough line on techÂ
TikTok chief executive Shu Zhiqiu was in Brussels last month for talks with EU officials, during which he warned the Chinese-owned platform to ensure the security of European users’ data.
The company has promised to further reduce employee access to data.
TikTok also promised last year that it would keep US users’ data in the US to address Washington’s concerns.
The European Union has taken a hard line on technology companies, passing two major laws to ensure that social media platforms abide by the bloc’s rules on digital issues.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) forces social media platforms, online marketplaces and search engines to react more quickly to remove content deemed to be in breach of EU regulations.
The second, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), prohibits anti-competitive behavior by so-called “gatekeepers” of the Internet.
