European Parliament bans TikTok on staff phones

Last updated on March 6th, 2023 at 05:10 pm

The European Parliament has banned TikTok from its employees’ mobile devices, following in the footsteps of two of the most influential policymaking institutions in the European Union and highlighting the growing concern over the Chinese short video-sharing application and who has access to its user data.

The European Commission and EU Council banned TikTok on staff phones last week due to rising worries about the company, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, and the possibility that the Chinese government could capture user data or further its own interests.

Beijing has consistently rejected such ambitions.

The prohibition will take effect on March 20 for corporate devices enrolled in Parliament’s mobile management application, such as mobile phones and tablets, according to a Parliament spokesperson.

Confirming an earlier Reuters report, the assembly also strongly suggested that legislators and staff delete TikTok from their personal devices.

TikTok stated that the restrictions were erroneous and based on fundamental misunderstandings.

“125 million EU residents use TikTok, and potentially denying them access to their representatives is a self-defeating step, especially in our common battle against misinformation and when this action is based on concerns rather than facts,” the business stated.

The US Senate likewise prohibited the use of TikTok on government-owned devices, and Canada followed suit on Monday. India has banned the application nationwide.

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