The European Commission’s Corporate Management Board decided to suspend TikTok on its devices and on personal devices enrolled in its mobile device service to increase cybersecurity. .The measure aims to protect the European Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which might be exploited for cyber attacks against its corporate environment, according to a Thursday press release. The release said the security developments of other social media platforms will be kept under constant review. .TikTok confirmed to its European users in November their data could be accessed by employees outside of the continent, including in China. .There have been concerns raised due to TikTok parent company ByteDance's connections to the Chinese government. It was updating its privacy policy to confirm staff in various countries were allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform was consistent, enjoyable, and safe. .The other countries where European user data could be accessed by TikTok staff included Brazil, Canada, Israel, the United States, and Singapore. .The release went on to say the measure is in line with the commission’s strict internal cybersecurity policies for using mobile devices for work purposes. It complements advice to staff to apply best practices when using social media platforms and having high levels of cyber awareness in their daily work. .It said the commission is committed to ensuring its staff are well protected against increasing cyber security threats and incidents. Its duty is to respond as early as possible to potential cyber alerts. .TikTok Public Policy Director Caroline Greer called the European Commission’s suspension of TikTok on corporate devices “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.” .“We requested a meeting to set the record straight,” said Greer. .Greer said TikTok was continuing to enhance its approach to data security by establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data, reducing employee access to it, and minimizing data flows outside Europe. .American politicians said in December they were considering a ban on TikTok due to security concerns. .READ MORE: American government considers banning TikTok.Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) introduced the proposed bill in the Senate. Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-08) and Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. .“The federal government has yet to take a single meaningful action to protect American users from the threat of TikTok,” said Rubio.
