EU Commission bans Chinese app TikTok on staff phones over security concerns

Citing focus on cybersecurity, the European Commission on Thursday decided to suspend the Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok from its employees' corporate phones. While informing about the decision EU industry chief Thierry Breton didn't give any details about any incidents involving TikTok.

"To increase its cybersecurity, the Commission's Corporate Management Board has decided to suspend the use of the TikTok application on its corporate devices and on personal devices enrolled in the Commission mobile device service," the EU executive said in a statement.

"This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyber-attacks against the corporate environment of the Commission," it said.

While expressing disappointment at the decision of the commission, a TikTok spokesperson said it was "misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions".

The decision comes a month after EU officials warned TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew to ensure the safety of European users' data.

"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," a spokesperson added.

In November 2022, TikTok accepted that staff of the social media platform in China can access the data of European users. The company, however, denies any involvement of the Chinese government in controlling the application or its data.

"We're continuing to enhance our approach to data security, including by establishing three data centers in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimizing data flows outside of Europe," the firm said.

Last year, the United States government banned the TikTok app from federal government devices and some lawmakers are also demanding a complete ban of the social media app in the country.

European Commission also informed that the security developments of other media platforms are also currently under constant review.