Congress on March 23 over potential risks to U.S. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew is also due to testify for the first time before the U.S. Several states in the last week also implemented their own restrictions.

where TikTok has faced continued pressure - moved in December to ban the app for all federal government devices, due to fears about potential spying by China, where TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based. It added: “We are surprised that the Commission did not contact us directly nor offer any explanation - we have requested a meeting” 'Deceptively innocent'

“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.” “We are disappointed with this decision, which we believe to be misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions,” said a TikTok spokesperson. In a statement to POLITICO, TikTok said the decision was 'misguided.' They declined, however, to disclose information that led them to conclude the app poses significant cybersecurity and data risks for the EU executive. Spokespeople Eric Mamer and Sonya Gospodinova said it had been the result of a “careful” analysis. The Commission said that this is the first time it has suspended the use of an app for its staff. “As of 15 March, devices with the app installed will be considered non-compliant with the corporate environment,” the email read. Officials are required to uninstall the video-sharing app “at their earliest convenience” and before March 15. “To protect Commission’s data and increase its cybersecurity, the EC Corporate Management Board has decided to suspend the TikTok application on corporate devices and personal devices enrolled in the Commission mobile device service,” said the email sent to staff on Thursday morning. A senior official told POLITICO that all Commission staff, who number about 32,000, were ordered on Thursday morning to remove TikTok from their official devices and that they must also remove the app from their personal devices if they have any work-related apps installed.Īlternatively, the staff members can delete work-related apps from their personal phones if they insist on keeping TikTok.

Tik tok ban