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Governments against Tik Tok: here are the countries that have banned its use by public employees

There is a lot of talk these days about cybersecurity and the increasingly indiscriminate use of personal data. Years ago Facebook was in the crosshairs, then it was the turn of Instagram. Now, in the crosshairs of the administrations is Tik Tok, the Chinese video-sharing social media. 

Many states around the world are in fact banning the use of the platform by their civil servants during working hours, concerned about the management and sharing of personal data, and the danger that this data could be stolen illegally in some way.

In the crosshairs, as reported by various media, ended up specifically ByteDance, the parent company of the social. But which governments, so far, have already banned their employees from using social?

Getty Images/Wikipedia
Governments against Tik Tok: here are the countries that have banned its use by public employees
There is a lot of talk these days about cybersecurity and the increasingly indiscriminate use of personal data. Years ago Facebook was in the crosshairs, then it was the turn of Instagram. Now, in the crosshairs of the administrations is Tik Tok, the Chinese video-sharing social media. Many states around the world are in fact banning the use of the platform by their civil servants during working hours, concerned about the management and sharing of personal data, and the danger that this data could be stolen illegally in some way. In the crosshairs, as reported by various media, ended up specifically ByteDance, the parent company of the social. But which governments, so far, have already banned their employees from using social?
By Adam Schultz - https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-biden/ (direct download link),
United States (pictured, President Joe Biden)
The United States has imposed an almost total shutdown. At the level of the individual state governments, almost all governors have banned the use of Tik Tok on all public devices, both of employees and of their representatives. At the federal level, however, i.e. the White House, the ban will also be imposed on all government-related agencies from the end of March.
Freepik
United Kingdom (in photo, the Big Ben in London)
On March 16, the United Kingdom banned for security reasons the use of Tik Tok on government devices. Digital Minister Oliver Dowden said the directive will take effect immediately.
Getty Images
Canada (pictured, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)
Also in Canada, all government employees have been required to delete the Chinese app from their government devices. There are currently no restrictions for private phones.
Di Dhirad, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113235
Asia (in photo, the Taj Mahal, in India)
In Asia the situation is very multifaceted, as is to be expected in such a vast and heterogeneous continent. For example, in Taiwan a ban has been imposed on government officials and employees. In India, Iran and Afghanistan TikTok has precisely been banned for everyone indiscriminately. Some bans, which are supposed to be temporary, have been imposed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, mainly for reasons related to the dissemination of content that governments do not like.
Di Flickr user "Ronnie Macdonald" - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ronmacphotos/5642240317/
New Zealand (pictured, the waterfront at Auckland)
Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, a parliament official, said that starting March 31, the installation of Tik Tok will be banned for security reasons. This ban will apply to all devices connected to government Internet networks.
Freepik
European Commission (in photo, the president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen)
The European Commission understood only as a body has mandated the removal of Tik Tok from all devices, both private staff and corporate. At the same time, however, not many individual European states have currently taken countermeasures. It is not excluded, however, that there will be news soon.
Di Paul Hermans - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19730
Belgium (pictured, Antwerp)
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Georges Gilkinet spoke of a 'necessary decision' to ban ministers and federal civil servants from using TikTok on smartphones and computers. As in other states, the motivation is security.
Di GuoJunjun - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21634869
Denmark (pictured, Copenhagen)
In Denmark, a recommendation has been sent out saying to uninstall Tik Tok from public devices for security reasons. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, there is no actual ban yet, but nonetheless its use by government employees has been discouraged.
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19/04/2024
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