TikTok calls EU ban ‘un-European’ as it faces an increasing trend to remove the app from government devices

  • TikTok was caught off guard by an order from the European Commission to restrict the use of the short-video app on government devices
  • The commission said there is no ‘immediate threat’ to officials but the EU is monitoring the situation as it is ‘under an increased cybersecurity threat’

The European Commission logo displayed behind a TikTok logo on a smartphone on February 23, 2023. Photo: dpa

TikTok was caught completely off guard when the European Union’s executive arm told staff to delete the video-sharing app from phones on Thursday.

Theo Bertram, TikTok’s vice-president of European public policy, told Bloomberg that TikTok’s executives found out via media reports. The European Commission department that issued the suspension never reached out to the company about any concerns.

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