A ban on the use of TikTok by official European Union (EU) institutions will harm business confidence in Europe, Beijing said on Thursday.
In the latest salvo in the battle over the Chinese-owned video sharing app, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council have banned TikTok from being installed on official devices
“The EU claims to be the most open market in the world, but recently it has been taking restrictive measures and unreasonably suppressing other countries’ companies on the grounds of national security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing.
“This will dampen the international community’s confidence in the business environment in the EU,” Mao said.
Th EU’s move follows similar actions taken by the US federal government, Congress and more than half of the 50 US states. Canada has also banned it from government devices.
TikTok is wildly popular among teens, but there are concerns China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China on the platform.
China has been pushing back, though its ruling Communist Party has long blocked many foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram — and TikTok. A Chinese version of the app, Douyin, is permitted, but its content is not the same as that found on TikTok.
CURRENTPH NEWS SERVICE
