European Commission bans employees from using TikTok on work devices
The EU ban, which is due to take effect next month, will affect thousands of European Commission employees. The U.S. has imposed such restrictions on government employees before.
The European Commission has banned its employees from using TikTok on work devices, following similar restrictions on government employees in the United States, and Canadian regulators have launched an investigation into the platform’s privacy practices.
The EU ban, which is due to take effect next month, will affect thousands of European Commission employees. TikTok is currently under scrutiny by European and U.S. officials for security reasons. European officials cited some cybersecurity concerns, but did not specify. TikTok’s parent company is Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.
In the U.S., the federal government and most states have also banned government employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices. Some U.S. and European lawmakers and officials worry that the Chinese government could force TikTok to hand over data on its users or exert influence over which videos users watch.
A TikTok spokesman said the European Commission’s ban was “misguided and based on a fundamental misunderstanding”. The spokesperson said that TikTok has contacted the European Commission to explain how it protects the data of European users, and that the platform continues to improve safety and security measures.
…
