Public officials in the Netherlands are being told to stay away from TikTok amid growing concerns in the European Union and the US that the China-owned video-sharing platform threatens privacy.
Two government officials told POLITICO that Dutch ministries and agencies are following a recommendation to shut down most TikTok accounts and block government communications and advertising on the platform. This is despite the app’s skyrocketing popularity in the Netherlands, where it has around 3.5 million users.
Dutch pivot away from TikTok follows advisory issued by Ministry of General Affairs, “The use of TikTok for the government is suspended until TikTok adjusts its data protection policy” announced in November. While the recommendation bears resemblance to a recent US government decision since december As for banning the use of TikTok on government equipment, the scope and enforcement of the Dutch guidance is far more limited.
This is the latest example of how Beijing-headquartered ByteDance-owned TikTok is facing headwinds in EuropeAdding to its troubles in the US, the firm is already under investigation for sending EU users’ data to China. One of the video app’s fiercest European critics is French President Emmanuel Macron, who has described TikTok as “deceptively innocent” and the cause of a “genuine addiction” among users, as well as a source of Russian disinformation.
Dutch officials have sought to strengthen ties with Washington in recent months as the US pushes for more export controls on selling sensitive technology to China, including machines made by Dutch chips printing giant ASML. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met with US President Joe Biden this month, where they discussed “quite frankly, how to meet the challenges of China,” the US leader told reporters ahead of the meeting.
The Dutch policy on TikTok, which is effectively a moratorium rather than a ban, is primarily aimed at preventing the use of TikTok for “media” purposes, a spokesman for the Ministry of General Affairs said, and government officials have to clarify does not specifically instruct to remove it. App from phone.
The spokesperson said it is difficult to assess how strictly government services have followed the advisory as the ministry is not monitoring individual services’ usage of the app. But both officials said the advice marked the beginning of a clear move away from Chinese-owned apps in line with growing security concerns across the West.
A junior Dutch government coalition party called in November for a full app ban “In its present form.” When asked by reporters what he thought of the proposal, Rutte said that it was “the opinion of the five seats in the Dutch lower chamber”.
TIC Toc accepted In early November some of its employees based in China could access European TikTok user data. It also came under intense scrutiny in the US report in forbes magazine In December, employees accessed data to track the location of journalists covering TikTok.
This month, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew Visited Brussels to address concerns in meetings with EU Commissioners Including Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, Vice President for Values Vera Jourova and Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.
“I count on TikTok to fully execute on its commitments to respect EU law and go the extra mile to retrieve [the] European regulator’s trust,” Jourova said in a warning shot at the company. There can be no doubt that “users’ data in Europe is secure and not exposed to illegal access from third country authorities,” she said.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.