EUROPE | Denmark’s parliament urged politicians and staff to delete the TikTok app from their work phones as a cybersecurity measure, saying “there is an espionage risk.”
The popular video-sharing app, which is Chinese-owned, faces intensifying scrutiny in Europe and the US over security and data privacy amid worries that TikTok could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users’ information.
Danish parliamentary Speaker Søren Gade said that an email had been sent out Tuesday to the 179 members of parliament and to employees with “a strong recommendation that you delete the TikTok app if you have previously installed it.”
Parliament acted after an assessment from Denmark’s Center for Cyber Security, which had said there was a risk of espionage. The agency is part of Denmark’s foreign intelligence service.
“We adapt accordingly,” Gade said in a statement.
- European Commission bans its staff from using TikTok over China cybersecurity concerns
- TikTok slapped with a €5 million fine by French regulators over its handling of users’ cookies
- TikTok battles privacy concerns and espionage fears in Europe
It wasn’t immediately known how many Danish MPs have TikTok installed. In recent days, several politicians have publicly announced that they had deleted the app from their work phone for cybersecurity reasons.
Earlier this month, the European Union’s executive branch said it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.
The EU’s action follows similar moves in the US, where more than half of the country’s 50 states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.
In Norway, which isn’t a member of the 27-nation EU, the justice minister was forced to apologise this month for failing to disclose that she had installed TikTok on her government-issued phone.
By Euronews
