Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

EU bans TikTok from official devices, cybersecurity concerns

The European Commission has banned TikTok from official devices used by staff amid concerns about data protection. The Commission staff has until March 15 to delete the Chinese-owned video app on work and personal devices that use Commission apps and services. "This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions, which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the Commission," the Commission said in a statement on Thursday (February 23). Tiktok, owned by Chinese form ByteDance, has been under scrutiny from governments because of concerns that China could use its app to gather users' data for advanced interest. However, on Thursday (February 23), TikTok opposed the decision, claiming the ban as "misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions." "We have contacted the Commission to set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month," the TikTok spokesperson said. In a statement, the European Parliament confirmed that it was in contact with the Commission regarding its action. "Relevant services are also monitoring and assessing all possible data breaches related to the app and will consider the European Commission evaluation before formulating recommendations to European Parliament authorities," a spokesperson said. Similarly, the Commission said it would continue to monitor security developments on other social media platforms. RZSP/Expat Media
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