TikTok could also be banned in Europe, following in the wake of the United States, which started a battle against the platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The main objective is to protect the security of users' sensitive data and prevent risks related to national security, issues on which the app has been repeatedly accused of violations.
The US case
The United States was the first to move against TikTok, passing a law called the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. This legislation aims to protect US users from social applications managed by foreign companies considered potentially dangerous. The law forces ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company; in case of non-compliance, the app may be removed from digital stores and US servers.
Other countries involved
Several states, such as India, Nepal, the United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand, have already banned the use of TikTok on government devices. According to security agencies in these countries, the app poses a significant risk to the protection of sensitive information. India, in particular, has banned the platform completely since 2020.
The European response
The European Union is carefully following the evolution of the situation. During a meeting in Maastricht, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that the EU does not rule out adopting measures similar to those of the United States. The Commission has long been committed to regulating the platform's most controversial features, such as TikTok Lite, an app that encourages users to spend more time on the social network through a rewards system.
“It is not excluded that a similar intervention will also be implemented in the EU – he added – “The European Commission was the first institution in the world to ban TikTok from our company phones. We know exactly the danger of TikTok.”
