The TikTok bans just keep on coming.
As reported by the BBC, the European Commission has officially banned TikTok from being installed on devices used by its staff. Sonya Gospodinova, a spokesperson for the EU, said that the corporate management board of the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, made the decision to ban the social media app from staff devices.
In a statement, Gospodinova said that “the measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the commission,” echoing other government agencies that have banned the app due to security concerns.
The ban will specifically apply to European Commission staff. The app will not only be banned from any devices managed by the commission itself but also from any personal devices that have an official app installed. If they do not remove the app by March 15th, official apps will be removed from their personal devices.
A spokesperson for TikTok responded to the ban, saying that “we are disappointed with this decision, which we believe to be misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.”
While today’s ban is specific to the agency itself and its estimated 32,000 workers, the social media company faces a complete ban in the entire region as soon as September if it does not comply with the new Digital Services Act (DSA). The company has until September 1st to meet the requirements of the legislation, which requires social media apps to add more regulation to content posted on their networks.
While TikTok faces its first bans in the EU, it has already been experiencing bans in the United States for months now. Those bans have also been limited to government devices for the most part, but the company is facing mounting pressure at the idea of a nationwide ban in the country.
