The European Parliament also decided, like other institutions of the European Union (EU), to ban the Chinese application TikTok on the corporate phones of employees and MEPs, in addition to recommending that it could not be installed on personal devices, they confirmed today. to Efe convent sources.
The suspension of this application on smartphones and tablets of the European Parliament will take place from March 20.
“The TikTok app, once downloaded and installed on these devices, should be installed as soon as possible,” the sources confirmed.
At the same time, the parliament “strongly” advises MEPs and staff to remove TikTok from personal plans.
This decision was made by the European Parliament with a view to “cybersecurity”, especially regarding the protection and collection of data by third parties.
As of March 20, in addition, Internet access to TikTok through the corporate PE network will also be blocked, which involves corporate desktop computers and laptops.
The European Parliament mentioned that TikTok is not part of the regulatory framework for the establishment of corporate devices, and noted that it is constantly reviewing its cybersecurity measures in close collaboration with other EU institutions.
The sources added that the European Parliament “constantly” monitors cybersecurity threats and activities that can be used as cyberattacks against its corporate environment.
Therefore, the competent services of the institution also “monitor and assess any possible data violations” related to TikTok and other similar uses.
On February 23, the European Commission (EC) and the Council of the European Union (EU) announced that they will deal with TikTok in their official mobile plans, at which time they want to protect security against increased cyber attacks.
After learning last week of the Community Executive’s decision, TikTok requested a meeting with those responsible to “take a proper assessment” of its security measures.
The company said in a statement that it was “surprised” the agency did not contact them earlier or “offer any explanation.”
Brussels has been targeting TikTok and other big tech companies for some time, and at this point in January it met with the company’s Chinese CEO, Shou Zi Chew, who threatened to condemn its use. The European Union, if it does not prevent minors from having access to potentially deadly videos,” and if it does not prevent the transfer of user data to third countries.
European institutions are thus following the footsteps of the United States, where Congress prohibited legislators and their ministers from installing applications on official phones, and where several States and academic institutions have taken similar measures.
Canada, for its part, on Tuesday announced a ban on federal employees using the app on official cell phones as it poses an “unacceptable” risk to their privacy and security.
