The United States is considering banning TikTok, and Europe could follow suit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently said that the option of banning TikTok in Europe was not ruled out.
The United States is at the heart of the news regarding TikTok, there is talk of a veto which could force ByteDance to sell TikTok, or to close the app across the Atlantic.
Asked about the situation of TikTok in the USA, von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, indicated that a similar scenario in Europe “ is not excluded“.
According to Politico, the official stressed that the European Commission has been “ the first instance in the world » to prohibit the use of the social network on company mobile phones. “ We know exactly the danger of TikTok “, she added.
However, Ursula von der Leyen’s comments do not necessarily indicate that Europe is already preparing a legal strategy comparable to that of the United States.
The reasons for the threat of banning TikTok in Europe
TikTok has been in the crosshairs of European regulators for some time now. Concerns about data security and the protection of underage users have already led to fines and investigations.
Last September, the Irish Data Protection Commission fined TikTok €345 million for failing to properly protect the personal information of its underage users.
In February this year, the European Commission opened an investigation against TikTok for possible harm to children and adolescents, as well as other alleged violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
TikTok has tried to ease resentments over a possible handover of information to the Chinese government by announcing the construction of three data centers to store European user data.
Two of them in Ireland, where one is already underway, and the last in Norway. This initiative was accompanied by an investment of 12 billion euros and the recruitment of a British company to independently audit the functioning of the infrastructure.
However, these efforts did not prevent further clashes with authorities. A few days ago, ByteDance reversed course after announcing a rewards program on TikTok Lite.
Regulators expressed concerns that the initiative could cause addiction among young people who use TikTok, and the company chose to abandon it. They thus avoided exposing themselves to a new fine of one million dollars.
A possible scenario
TikTok faces serious threat of ban in Europe. The words of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, do not seem like empty words.
Although there is no concrete legal strategy to ban the app yet, European regulators are increasingly concerned about the company’s data collection and user protection practices.