China claims that preventing official European Union institutions from using TikTok will undermine business confidence in Europe, which also follows a string of bans from several countries, according to a report by AP on Wednesday, March 1.
The European Union Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament have all prohibited TikTok from being installed on official devices as mistrust of the app's Chinese ownership deepens.
This comes after similar measures were enacted by the US Congress, the federal government, and more than half of the country's states. It is likewise prohibited on government equipment in Canada.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 28: In this photo illustration, a TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone on February 28, 2023 in London, England. This week, the US government and European Union's parliament have announced bans on installing the popular social media app on staff devices.
Erode Confidence
TikTok has been particularly popular among teenagers due to its shareable visual network. It launched the careers of several influencers and artists thanks to its wide reach and strong influence on the modern pop culture scene.
However, its Chinese ownership has raised concerns from several countries such as the US, alleging that the app may be used for stealing sensitive data from users and that China may use it to advance its propaganda.
China has also prohibited Western social media sites and messaging apps such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Instagram to strike back.
"The EU claims to be the most open market in the world, but recently it has been taking restrictive measures and unreasonably suppressing other countries' companies on the grounds of national security," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement, quoted by AP.
According to Mao, this will erode confidence in the EU's economic environment among the global community. By March 15, EU employees must remove TikTok from any devices they use for work-related purposes.
The White House also required federal agencies to ban TikTok on government devices within 30 days.
Canada also declared on Monday that TikTok usage is not permitted on devices that are part of the government because it poses an "unacceptable" danger to users' security and privacy.
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Countries that Banned TikTok
As of writing, TikTok has been partially or totally banned in countries such as India, Taiwan, the US, Canada, the EU, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
In 2020, India banned WeChat and hundreds of other Chinese apps including TikTok, due to privacy and security concerns.
The ban was implemented soon after a battle between Chinese and Indian troops along a contentious Himalayan border left 20 Indian soldiers dead and injured several people. In January 2021, the prohibition was in permanent effect.
Taiwan also banned TikTok in December 2022 after the FBI reported that the app constituted a threat to national security. The usage of Chinese-made software, such as apps like TikTok, its Chinese version Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app, is prohibited on government devices.
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