BRUSSELS - Belgium is banning TikTok from government phones because to concerns about cybersecurity, privacy, and disinformation, the country's prime minister announced Friday, echoing similar actions by other governments in Europe and the United States.
According to a post on Alexander de Croo's website, the Chinese-owned video sharing app will be temporarily blocked on devices owned or paid for by the Belgian federal government for at least six months.
TikTok stated that it is "disappointed with this suspension, which is based on basic misperception about our firm," and that it is "readily prepared to meet with officials to resolve any concerns and clear the air on misconceptions."
After advice from numerous Belgian security and cyber security authorities, the Flemish regional government in Belgium decided to limit TikTok access on its employees' phones and computers earlier Thursday, according to an official statement.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that relocated its headquarters to Singapore in 2020. The corporation attempted to dissociate itself from its Chinese roots, claiming that its parent company is based outside of China and is majority owned by global institutional investors.
Yet, the European Union's three major institutions, as well as Denmark's defense ministry, have already asked personnel to delete the software from official devices. Similar restrictions have been enacted in Canada and the United States.
The dispute over TikTok is part of a larger global struggle between China, the United States, and its Western allies for technical and economic dominance.
Belgium's prohibition, according to De Croo, was based on warnings from the national security agency and its cybersecurity center that the app may gather user data and change algorithms to influence its news stream and content.
They also threatened that TikTok may be forced to spy for China, he added, without going into any detail.
TikTok stated that user data is held in the United States and Singapore, and that additional safeguards are being implemented to alleviate European concerns by keeping user data in European data centers.
