Last Update: February 23, 2023, 17:07 IST
Several US states have also banned the download of TikTok on government devices (Image: Reuters)
The spokesperson said the ban also means European Commission staff cannot use the Chinese-owned video-sharing app on personal devices, including phones, that have official apps installed.
The European Commission has banned TikTok on official devices used by staff amid concerns over data security, a spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
The ban also means that European Commission staff cannot use Chinese-owned video-sharing apps on personal devices that have official apps installed, the spokesperson confirmed to a report by news website Euractive.
The employees should delete the app as soon as possible and should do so by March 15.
TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is Chinese, has faced increasing Western scrutiny in recent months over fears Beijing has access to user data.
The United States banned the app from federal government equipment last year, and some US lawmakers are attempting to ban TikTok from operating in the United States.
Last month, the Dutch government reportedly advised public officials to stay away from the app over similar concerns.
In November, TikTok admitted that some employees in China could access European users’ data.
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew was in Brussels last month for talks with EU officials, during which he warned TikTok to ensure the security of European users’ data.
He stressed that the company was working on a “robust” system for processing the data of Europeans in Europe, an EU spokeswoman said at the time.
TikTok has also promised to keep American users’ data in the United States to address Washington’s concerns.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)