The Netherlands asked government officials to immediately stop using TikTok and similar apps on their mobile work devices amid fears of security violations.
(Bloomberg) — The Netherlands asked government officials to immediately stop using TikTok and similar apps on their mobile work devices amid fears of security violations.
Apps from companies based in countries with an “offensive cyber program” against the Netherlands represent an increased espionage risk, the Dutch government said in a statement on Tuesday.
TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., has also been banned from staff phones at the European Commission, the Canadian civil service and the US Congress. The Dutch cabinet is also working on a structural solution that involves issuing government employees with managed devices or those with pre-determined apps, according to the statement.
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The Chinese government has no access to TikTok’s user data, a spokesperson for the social media platform said in a statement. The company plans to store its European users’ data in Europe, the spokesperson said.
(Updates with TikTok’s statement in the last paragraph)
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