Federal government waits after EU Commission's TikTok ban
Employees of the European Commission must delete the social media app TikTok from their work devices due to security concerns. The federal administration now plans to analyze this decision. Currently, there is no ban on TikTok on work cell phones.
"Individual apps can also be banned at the Federal Administration at any time if necessary for security reasons," the Federal Chancellery wrote in response to a request from the Keystone-SDA news agency. The federal administration will clarify with the relevant EU authorities what led to this decision.
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), as the federal government's center of excellence for cyber security, continues to monitor developments in all areas very closely and can respond quickly if necessary, the Federal Chancellery further notes.
Employees of the federal administration use special apps on their cell phones to access business applications and data such as e-mails, calendars, contacts, and intranet platforms. This means that this business data remains in an isolated, secure environment - a so-called sandbox.
TikTok rejects accusations
On Thursday, the EU Commission had banned TikTok on employees' work cell phones. In addition, the video app, which belongs to a Chinese group, must be removed by March 15 from private devices on which EU Commission apps are used. According to an EU spokeswoman, the reason for the decision is cybersecurity concerns.
TikTok criticized the move. "We are disappointed by this decision, which we believe is misguided and based on fundamental misunderstandings," a spokeswoman said. It said it had contacted the EU Commission to set the record straight.
The Internet platform TikTok, which belongs to the Chinese Bytedance Group, has long been accused of insufficient data security and a lack of protection for young users. It is feared, for example, that the Chinese state could have access to TikTok data. TikTok rejects this. (SDA)
