Jaraa'idJaraa'id
Notification Show More
Latest News
‘A devastating impact’: SVB’s collapse leaves start-ups with a funding hole
Business
Tour Championship 2023 snooker – Latest scores, results, schedule, order of play as Ronnie O’Sullivan misses out
Sports
Why five days in the office doesn’t add up
Business
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen beats Marlon Vera by split decision in San Antonio, Holly Holms wins against Yana Santos
Sports
Founder of Din Tai Fung chain, globally known for its xiao long baos, dies aged 96
Asia
Aa
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Africa
  • United States
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Live Score
  • More
    • Business
    • Market Data
      • Stocks
      • Commodities
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Forex
    • Weather
Reading: Domino effect as more EU institutions move to ban TikTok on work devices
Share
Aa
Jaraa'idJaraa'id
  • Somalia
  • Africa
  • United States
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Videos
  • World
    • Africa
    • United States
    • Europe
    • Asia
  • Market Data
    • Stocks
    • Commodities
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Forex
  • More
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Weather
    • Live Score
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
Jaraa'id > Europe > Domino effect as more EU institutions move to ban TikTok on work devices
Europe

Domino effect as more EU institutions move to ban TikTok on work devices

News Room
Last updated: 2023/03/07 at 4:34 PM
News Room Published March 7, 2023
Share
SHARE

The European Commission’s surprising decision to ban TikTok on work-related devices has triggered a domino effect across Brussels and beyond as more EU institutions move to emulate the prohibition, turning the popular video-sharing app into ostracised software for corporate environments.

TikTok is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, a connection that has raised serious concerns about privacy breaches, espionage and data transfers to the Chinese Communist Party.

The ban, first announced on 23 February, is now in place in the EU’s executive arm – the European Commission –, the two co-legislators – the EU Council and the European Parliament –, the diplomatic service – the European External Action Service (EEAS) –, and the Luxembourg-based budgetary watchdog – the European Court of Auditors (ECA).

The measure applies to corporate devices but also personal devices that might be connected to the official mobile network provided by the institutions within their premises.

“This is necessary because of information security and data protection concerns related to the app,” a spokesperson from the European Court of Auditors told Euronews, confirming the ban had been introduced “effective immediately” as of 1 March.

“The decision will protect the ECA against data collection by third parties, which constitutes a potential cybersecurity threat. Security developments related to social media platforms will be kept under constant review. Similar decisions on other platforms may follow in time.”

The bloc’s two main advisory bodies – the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) – have equally followed suit in recent days, officials told Euronews.

“The TikTok application must also be uninstalled from the devices provided by the Committee as soon as possible and, in any case, no later than 15 March 2023,” said an EESC spokesperson.

“The EESC does not promote its activities via TikTok but on other social media platforms.”

The European Ombudsman, currently led by Emily O’Reilly, has also outlawed TikTok from corporate devices as its cybersecurity is managed by the European Parliament and is therefore required to follow the guidelines issued by the hemicycle.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU) said the Luxembourg-based institution has not felt the need to introduce such a ban because apps on its work-related devices “have always been limited to what is strictly necessary.”

“It has therefore never been possible to install TikTok on work-related devices and consequently there is no such issue at the Court,” a spokesperson said in a written statement.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which is headquartered in Frankfurt, declined to comment on “specific IT security issues.”

Long-standing suspicions

Notably, none of the European institutions have explicitly mentioned the Chinese Communist Party or the central government in Beijing as a factor in their decision-making, although the implicit link has floated heavily over each announcement.

It is believed to be the first time EU bodies have taken such radical action against one concrete app.

Suspicions over TikTok, however, are far from new and have gained prominence in recent years as the platform turned into a global phenomenon, luring millions of teenagers to its algorithm-driven feed, while relations between the West and China went markedly sour.

Fears of foreign interference came to the very forefront in early November when TikTok published a privacy update in which the company openly admitted that personal data from European users could be accessed by some of its China-based employees.

A 2017 law compels all Chinese citizens and organisations to “support, assist and cooperate” with the country’s national intelligence service. The law can also force Chinese companies, including their subsidies abroad, to hand over data to the central government, if asked to do so.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been investigating TikTok’s data transfers to China and its compliance with the EU’s privacy laws since September 2021. 

TikTok has repeatedly defended its independence from the Chinese government and said the prohibitions were “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.”

The company insisted it is committed to protecting “the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month.”

With bans emerging in a nearly synchronised manner, the Chinese Ambassador to the European Union, Fu Cong, took to Twitter to condemn the prohibitions. 

“Very disappointed that EU institutions impose restrictions on the use of TikTok on staff devices,” Fu Cong said.

“As its economy is struggling to recover, it is in the EU’s interest to act on its words, respecting the principles of market economy & fair competition, so as to strengthen global confidence in the EU business environment, rather than the opposite.”

Dozens of Western apps and websites, including Twitter, where Fu Cong wrote his message, have long been blocked in mainland China under the country’s stringent policy of Internet censorship.



Read the full article here

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
I have read and agree to the terms & conditions
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
News Room March 7, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular News
Business

‘A devastating impact’: SVB’s collapse leaves start-ups with a funding hole

News Room News Room March 26, 2023
Tour Championship 2023 snooker – Latest scores, results, schedule, order of play as Ronnie O’Sullivan misses out
Why five days in the office doesn’t add up
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen beats Marlon Vera by split decision in San Antonio, Holly Holms wins against Yana Santos
Founder of Din Tai Fung chain, globally known for its xiao long baos, dies aged 96
Bank failures: lessons of past crises echo today
Daniil Medvedev beats Roberto Carballes Baena at Miami Open, Frances Tiafoe wins ‘brutal’ clash, Cameron Norrie out
Biden declares emergency for Mississippi due to storm damage
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You Might also Like

Europe

Brussels my love? The Putin-Xi bromance & the EU’s banking environment

March 25, 2023
Europe

State of the Union: Credit Suisse lifeline and Putin rolls out the red carpet for Xi

March 24, 2023
Europe

EU leaders insist eurozone is ‘resilient’ and ‘in good shape’ as Deutsche Bank shares plunge

March 24, 2023
Europe

Watch: How do EU Council summits work? Here’s a behind-the-scene sneak peek

March 24, 2023
  • Somalia
  • Africa
  • United States
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Forex
  • Stock Market

About US

Jaraa'id is your one-stop website for the latest global and local news and updates, follow us now to get the news that matters to you.
Quick Link
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Press ReleaseSubmit
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Top Sections
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Market DataLive
  • Weather

Subscribe US

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our Latest articles instantly!

I have read and agree to the terms & conditions

2023 © Jaraa'id. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?