The European Commission has instructed all its employees this Thursday to immediately remove the Tik Tok application from their work phones and devices, one of the most popular short video dissemination platforms in the world.
The department controlled by the Austrian Johannes Hahn, responsible for the Budget but also for the entire Administration, relies on security reasons, after considering that the fears shared by governments and institutions around the world about data security are more than well-founded. . Brussels has been talking to the Chinese company for some time, reminding it of its new obligations after the entry into force of the Digital Services Directive last November. But TikTok’s responses and assurances have not been convincing.
The instructions to the tens of thousands of Commission employees stipulate that the app must be removed from official devices by March 15, but also from personal phones if they have any work-related apps installed. Either officials need to remove those other apps. “It is a temporary measure, it can be re-evaluated. We are not going to say what is needed to lift it, but we are always monitoring the risks and making decisions based on the information available,” said a community spokesperson.
“To protect the Commission’s data and increase its cybersecurity, the Corporate Governance Board has decided to suspend the TikTok app on corporate devices and personal devices enrolled in the Commission’s mobile device service,” the email sent to staff on Monday reads. Thursday morning to which EL MUNDO has had access.
It is the first time that the Board makes a decision of this type. It constantly issues security recommendations and good practices with and on social networks, for example, but it had not ordered the deletion of an application from a device until now. For its videoconferences, the Commission uses Skype professional, Webex or interactiom but not Zoom, due to doubts about its security. But you don’t have problems with the app per se on the devices. The same happens with messaging, because a year ago the Signal step was recommended, instead of Whastapp, which, however, continues to be the most normal. It is likely that other institutions will now follow these steps.
The US government made the same decision in December, considering that TikTok is a Trojan horse for China to spy on. In recent years there have been many complaints about security problems, about Beijing’s access to information and about how the application has been used to access information from journalists or dissidents.
In January, the company’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, visited Brussels twice, addressing security concerns among other things. He vowed to build data storage centers in Europe, after admitting in November that some of his employees in China could access the data of European TikTok users. But the Commission has joined those who believe that the security risk is too great. “The era of candor has come to an end.” TikTok must change its practices, comply with new European legislation before September 1 and ensure that its content is suitable for a particularly young and vulnerable audience. Otherwise, you risk sanctions and even a ban on operating on community territory. That is the message that the European Commissioner for the Common Market, Thierry Breton, then conveyed to the chief executive.
Today, when asked about this question, Breton has been cautious, pointing out that the decision corresponds to one of his colleagues and that they should be the ones to explain it in depth. “The Commission is an institution that places a lot of emphasis on security and protecting our colleagues and everyone who works here. In that sense, this decision has been made, by the Board chaired by Commissioner Hahn, because there are reasons to I have no further comments, we want to protect ourselves”, said the Frenchman.
The regulators, parliaments and security services of countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or the Netherlands have open processes to determine to what extent the security risk and the violation of data protection laws are great. Which could lead to further bans or penalties.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
