The Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the ruling Socialist Party, Taulant Balla, has called for banning the social media network TikTok in public institutions as he says it poses a security risk.
In March, EURACTIV broke the news that the European Commission had banned staff from all EU institutions from using TikTok on their work devices or personal devices that use official applications. In addition, many countries have taken similar steps, including France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and the US.
The move comes from concerns over the platform and its ties to China and rules that specify how companies can collect and store users’ personal data.
During a meeting of the Commission for European Integration, Balla said the proposal would be made in all committees and parliament, and the government majority would support it.
“We should follow the models of European regulators…TikTok is a security risk in our Euro-Atlantic space. I join the decisions to ban the use of this application at all three levels: in the council, legislation…etc.”
He added that such sites pose a risk to personal data and that children between 8-18 are spending up to nine hours a day on such sides, which is a cause for alarm.
In November, TikTok admitted that the personal data of users worldwide could be accessed in the Chinese headquarters. The admission followed revelations from Forbes that the app was being used to spy on journalists.
Last month, TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew met with top EU officials, who told him the company had a long way to go to regain their trust.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
