“The security of our information must have priority,” the Belgian Prime Minister justified the ban.
The Belgian federal government has banned its employees from using TikTok on company cell phones because of suspected espionage. This was announced by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday, following the example of the USA and Canada. He justified this step with a warning from the National Security Council. “The security of our information must be a priority.” On Thursday, the Flemish regional government had already blocked access to the short video platform via their company cellphones and computers.
Because of the proximity of TikTok and the mother ByteDance to the Chinese government, security authorities fear that the People’s Republic will tap personal user data or misuse it to manipulate public opinion. TikTok and the Chinese government have denied the allegations.
In Germany, employees of the Federal Press Office are prohibited from using it. According to a media report, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) examined the risks of the TikTok app. The results of this investigation were not initially made public.
(APA/DPA)