German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opened a TikTok account, promising he would not dance on the social media platform popular with young people.
Chancellor Scholz's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on April 8 that the government channel would "increase the provision of information to citizens, who increasingly want to inform themselves and discuss politics on TikTok."
The account will provide a "behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day life of government ," he added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks in Aqaba, Jordan, March 17. Photo: AFP
Chancellor Scholz also clarified his new approach to TikTok. "I won't dance, I promise," he wrote on X.
Chancellor Scholz becomes the latest Western leader to join the Chinese-owned video-sharing social media platform, despite concerns over security and disinformation.
US President Joe Biden launched the account in February to reach young voters ahead of the election later this year. However, the US leader's presence on the channel did not stop him from raising concerns about TikTok's ownership with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call earlier this month.
Hebestreit said the account opening came “by chance” a few days before Chancellor Scholz’s visit to China over the weekend. He also noted that the chancellor’s office took time to evaluate the platform before signing up.
Western officials have frequently raised concerns about TikTok’s popularity with young people, accusing the app of collecting information for the Chinese government and being a tool of Beijing’s influence. However, TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, has denied this.
The US House of Representatives last month passed a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its parent company ByteDance or face a nationwide ban.
Vu Hoang (According to AFP )
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