The European Union, Canada, and the United States have banned TikTok from being installed and used by their employees. The decision was based on concerns about the potential leakage of personal data to Beijing. With this recent decision, it is becoming more evident that individuals and countries are raising concerns about TikTok’s safety and security.
EU and Canada Ban TikTok
Just last week, the European Commission ordered its employees to delete TikTok from their smartphones by March 15. Similarly, the Council of the European Union will also make a similar decision. The European institutions have taken this action to prevent the possibility of data breaches. In Canada, the government has also requested that its employees delete the app from their mobile phones.
US Agencies Join the Ban
Yesterday, the United States directed federal agencies to ensure that their employees no longer have the TikTok app on their mobile devices. They have 30 days to comply, and internet traffic to the app is also blocked on US government devices. The move follows the previous bans in Europe and Canada, and it appears that countries are united in their concerns over the app’s safety and security.
TikTok’s Previous Spying Incidents
Although the general public can still use TikTok, the recent ban has sparked concerns about free speech and expression. In France, President Emmanuel Macron, political figures, and elected officials use TikTok to reach a younger audience who frequent the app. Some parliamentarians even live-streamed sessions in the National Assembly using the app. However, TikTok’s parent company admitted last November that some of its employees had access to users’ private data, which they used to track journalists. The company denies having any connection with Beijing authorities.
Is TikTok Spying on You?
TikTok is once again accused of being spyware. A recent BuzzFeed report claims that China continues to access US users’ data. A commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has requested that Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai remove the app from the App Store and Google Play. The allegations stem from an analysis of 80 hours of leaked internal meeting audio recordings.
According to the recordings, an administrator in China, referred to as “Master Admin,” had access to all data from September 2021 to January 2022 and possibly beyond. TikTok has attempted to reassure the US government that all US users’ data is hosted in the US. But, the recording contradicts this claim. It appears that the app has a history of privacy and security breaches, and many countries are starting to consider it an unacceptable risk to national security.
Conclusion
As the popularity of TikTok continues to rise, countries and individuals are becoming increasingly concerned about the app’s safety and security. While the app may provide entertainment and social connections, the potential risk it poses to individuals’ privacy and national security is too significant to ignore.