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They may not come with the bang and bluster of United States government actions, but European governments too have been slapping restrictions on the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.
Across the bloc, government ministries — especially those involved in defense and security policy — have been prohibited from using TikTok on government devices, requests by POLITICO to national governments show.
The hardest blow for the social media platform came late last month, when the European Commission, Council and the EU diplomatic service all announced they had banned staff from using the app over security concerns, in the latest example of growing strains between Beijing and the West. The European Parliament soon followed suit. But at least five national governments, including major cybersecurity powers Germany, the Netherlands and Estonia, have imposed similar restrictions in recent years.
Behind these restrictions are widening fears that the app could be abused as a vehicle for espionage by Beijing-linked groups, bulk data-leaking to China or sensitive information falling in the wrong hands. TikTok is owned by Beijing-headquartered tech firm ByteDance, making the popular video-sharing app a target of Western security officials seeking to push back against China’s aggression in the digital domain.
It’s not just security, either. TikTok faces a series of cases brought by European regulators that challenge the company’s use of Europeans’ data over privacy concerns. These probes have already cost the social media firm millions in fines.
Here’s how European governments have taken action against TikTok so far:
This map is being updated regularly with new information.
Clothilde Goujard, Pieter Haeck, Louis Westendarp, Laura Kayali, Giorgio Leali, Gabriel Rinaldi and Laurens Cerulus contributed reporting.
