According to Politico , a ban on the popular video app TikTok in the EU is increasingly being discussed, with the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen saying that a ban on TikTok in the EU "is not ruled out." The statement was made in the Netherlands, at a debate with the leaders of the main EU parties vying for seats in the 2024 EC elections.
Being banned in the EU would be a further blow to TikTok
The discussion was prompted by the US move to ban TikTok outright if Chinese company ByteDance does not sell its service to US owners. Von der Leyen said the EC had previously banned TikTok from being installed on employees' work phones, stressing that "We are well aware of the threats that TikTok poses."
The announcement is part of a wave of negative news for TikTok in Europe, which has forced the company to suspend its in-app rewards program for TikTok Lite users after the EC launched an investigation. The program, which entices users to scroll more to earn rewards, could have a negative psychological impact. TikTok is also facing a separate investigation over alleged inadequate protection for minors, and under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EC can order the app to be suspended as a last resort in all cases.
Under the EU’s DSA, regulators can request temporary bans on any app or service that poses a threat. For example, there are concerns that European users’ data could be leaked to the Chinese government because TikTok’s owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, is Chinese.
Ursula von der Leyen noted that the Commission was the first in the world to ban TikTok from its employees’ office phones. She herself has limited the use of the app during her campaign for a second term, indirectly confirming her negative attitude towards the app, which is popular among young people. However, there were politicians at the debate who said that everything needed to be done very carefully, as everyone needed to understand the situation with TikTok before taking drastic measures.
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