Cyber security in mind, EU bans TikTok

The decision has not shocked many as the European Union is not the only entity that has banned the Chinese application. TikTok is already banned in several countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan.

Though popular with one section of users, TikTok has a plenty of cyber security implications and that is the reason why it is extremely unpopular among the policy makers. Earlier, the Indian government banned the Chinese app citing national security issues and now the European Union has come down heavily upon the app. The reason has been cited that the application is a threat for cyber security.

The decision has not shocked many as the European Union is not the only entity that has banned the Chinese application. TikTok is already banned even in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Azerbaijan. Although the US has not banned it, nearly 20 states have banned the app for one or the other reason.

Of course, the US defence forces have banned TikTok citing security reasons. Needless to say, the US Congress issued an order that TikTok must not be used from government-issued devices. Now, the decision from the EU has hammered the growth prospects of the Chinese app.

Cyber Security the primary reason cited by the EU

Although there are several drawbacks in the Chinese app TikTok that could serve as the basis for a ban, the European Union has said that the ban is because of cyber security issues. Nonetheless, after the ban, use of Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok on corporate phones would be a criminal offense.

Additionally, the Commission has claimed that the ban is meant to save the users from cyber-attacks. The official statement says that the measure aims to protect the Commission against cyber security threats and actions. The Commission also claims that TikTok could be exploited for cyber-attacks against its corporate environment.

Did the USA pressurize?

There is immense pressure on China after the 'BalloonGate' as the country has been trying to snoop on the American installations. The reaction has come from the USA and EU being an ally could have taken the measure to ban TikTok from on the request from the Biden administration. However, the EU has denied any such speculation.

The Commission confirms that the action has been taken based on its own rules and regulation that it set for its people and the companies under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The rule specifically makes it clear that the companies with more than 45 million users are required to do risk management and get external and independent auditing which did not happen with TikTok.