TikTok is prohibited by the EU on all official devices

Due to cybersecurity concerns, the European Parliament on Tuesday forbade TikTok from being used on staff devices. As a result, Chinese video-sharing software is now prohibited in all three of the EU’s major institutions.

“In view of cybersecurity concerns, in particular regarding data protection and collection of data by third parties, the European Parliament has decided, in alignment with other institutions, to suspend as from 20 March 2023, the use of the TikTok mobile application on corporate devices,” it was said.

Also, the parliament «highly suggested» that its employees and members uninstall TikTok from their own electronic devices.

ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns TikTok, told CNN that it was «disappointing to see that other government agencies and institutions are blocking TikTok on staff devices without any thought or justification.»

With a few exceptions, the White House ordered federal agencies to remove TikTok from all devices purchased with public funds within 30 days.

The action increased American efforts to crack down on the app in the wake of fresh security worries.

The White House reports that US officials have expressed concerns that the Chinese government could encourage ByteDance to pass up information obtained from users that could be used for intelligence or misinformation purposes. Agencies have 30 days to block TikTok on federal devices. Although there haven’t been any incidents of this type of access to yet, independent security experts have stated that it is a possibility, as CNN has previously reported.