If you live in Belgium or have a friend there, you may no longer be able to use TikTok.
Here is why.
Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, has banned federal officials from using TikTok on their work phones.
You see, there are just very little things that technology cannot achieve for a person. including breaking into vaults with sensitive material.
This is the major fear of most countries right now.
In fact, some countries have banned the video app over fears that the authorities in Beijing could use the video-sharing network to access sensitive user data.
The European Union’s governing institutions recently told staff members to delete the app from smartphones and laptops used for work purposes.
China has full control of that app.
“We shouldn’t be naive: TikTok is a Chinese business that is currently obliged to cooperate with the Chinese intelligence services,” De Croo said.
“That is the reality.”
This ban follows a risk assessment into potential espionage by the country’s cybersecurity and intelligence agencies.
In a bid to assure the European government of its security, TikTok launched a new push.
The push indicates that the company was working with a third-party European security company to oversee and check how it handles data.
You Should Read: Why Your Friends In UK May Be ‘Out Of WhatsApp Soon’
TikTok says its European user data will be stored at two centres in Dublin and one in Norway from 2023 onwards.
Other Countries That Have Banned TikTok
Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, have been raising security concerns over TikTok which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
However, the video app has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government and that its data is not held in China.
It also disputes accusations that it collects more user data than other social media companies.
It also insists that it is run independently by its management.
Despite these claims, many countries around the world are still cautious about the platform and its ties to China.
In 2020, India imposed a ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, over privacy and security concerns.
The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.
Similarly, in December 2022, Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that TikTok posed a national security risk.
Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which includes apps like TikTok.
Ban Applies Only To Government Devices
In 2023, the United States gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns.
The ban applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.
After the U.S. announcement, Canada also announced that government-issued devices must not use TikTok.
They say that it presents an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security.
Also, the European Parliament, European Commission, and the EU Council, three top EU bodies, have imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices.
The European Parliament’s ban, which was announced on Tuesday, takes effect on March 20.
Pakistani authorities have also temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since October 2020.
The authorities cite concerns that the app promotes immoral content.
Likewise, Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the Chinese game PUBG in 2022 to protect youths from “being misled”.
