From the EU to Canada: the West barricades itself from TikTok

The TikTok bans in various governments around the world have begun. The European Parliament was the latest to prohibit the app on all corporate phones of workers and MEPs.

These devices will have to delete the social network owned by ByteDance as soon as possible: "The TikTok application, once downloaded and installed on these devices, must be uninstalled as soon as possible," various sources assured EFE. In addition, it is also "strongly recommended" that members of the European Parliament and staff to remove TikTok from their personal devices.

The decision, they assured, was made due to "security concerns," especially in relation to data protection and data collection by third parties. In addition, they will also block web access to the social network through the European Parliament's corporate network. This will mean that desktops, laptops and personal devices connected through the institution's network will not be able to access the application.

This measure comes after the European Commission and the Council of the European Union announced on Feb. 23 that they were also banning the application from EU devices. In both cases, the commission explained that members have until March 15 to remove the social media application. The intention is to protect "against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the Commission."

Canadian and U.S. governments also ban TikTok

The Canadian government also prohibited the use of the app on federal devices. In their case, the measure was much more forceful, as it was an immediate ban. On Monday, Feb. 27, Treasury Board of Canada President Mona Fortier announced in a statement that the social network would be automatically removed and blocked only 24 hours later.

Like the other governments, Canada assured that the decision was taken due to cybersecurity concerns. The White House cited same reason when asking all federal agencies to remove the application from the devices. In their case, they gave a period of up to 30 days (starting Monday, Feb. 27). The decision came after several states such as Alaska and Texas also banned the controversial platform from their devices.

TikTok fights back

The TikTok ban was also endorsed by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The platform's management always assured that TikTok is completely secure and that the attack on the company was unnecessary.

CEO Shou Zi Chew will appear before Congress to respond to allegations that the company is collaborating with the Chinese government. This will take place on March 23. By then, many governments will have already banned the use of TikTok from their devices, shielding themselves from the threat they claim the social network poses.