"Don't Use TikTok" EU's Strong Crackdown... Due to Privacy and Security Concerns

TikTok says "Regret despite cooperation on security"

The European Union (EU) Commission has banned the use of the Chinese video-sharing platform 'Tiktok.' This move is interpreted as a response to suspicions that Tiktok collects user data and hands it over to the Chinese government. Tiktok strongly denies these allegations.

According to major foreign media including AP on the 23rd (local time), the EU's executive body, the Commission, announced that it will regulate the use of Tiktok on personal and work mobile devices.

Sonya Gospodinova, an EU spokesperson, said the decision to regulate Tiktok usage was made "for security reasons." She explained, "The purpose of this measure is to protect the Commission from cybersecurity threats and acts that could be exploited for cyberattacks."

Photo by Yonhap News

This is the first time the EU has officially imposed a ban on Tiktok at the EU level. Accordingly, Commission officials must delete Tiktok from all devices by March 15.

A Tiktok spokesperson expressed regret, saying, "We have not been contacted by the Commission," and added, "Tiktok has already explained the methods for data protection."

Previously, the U.S. federal and state governments banned the use of Tiktok amid ongoing concerns that user information was being passed to the Chinese government. The U.S. Congress also regulated the use of Tiktok on federal government devices. Additionally, the federal legislature is pressuring Apple and Google to remove Tiktok from their platforms.

"Tiktok collects more personal information than other SNS apps"

Earlier, foreign media reported that Tiktok was designed to collect more personal information than other social media apps. Its user information collection and tracking systems were twice the average compared to Facebook and Instagram.

In South Korea, in 2020, Tiktok collected over 6,000 pieces of personal information from children under 14 without the consent of legal guardians and transferred the data overseas, resulting in a fine of 186 million KRW and a penalty of 6 million KRW imposed by the Korea Communications Commission.

Moreover, in December last year, ByteDance, the company that created Tiktok, admitted to accessing data within the Tiktok account of a journalist who reported on a leak of company information to investigate the incident. Tiktok fired the employee involved but did not disclose the name of the dismissed employee.

Other issues pointed out regarding Tiktok include the indiscriminate spread of harmful content to children and adolescents, and the increasing number of people losing their lives while taking risks to film videos to upload on Tiktok.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.