International

EU Considers TikTok Ban: Commission Takes Action

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has suggested that the prohibition of TikTok within the European Union is under consideration.

This implication arose during a debate in Maastricht, Netherlands, attended by key candidates from various parties for the 2024 elections within the EU, as reported by Politico.

"It is not ruled out," von der Leyen remarked after the moderator mentioned the situation in the United States, where TikTok faces a potential nationwide ban if not divested by its parent company, ByteDance.

She promptly emphasised that the Commission was "the first entity worldwide to prohibit TikTok on our corporate devices. We are fully aware of the risks posed by TikTok."

Von der Leyen did not attend the event in Maastricht in her capacity as President of the Commission but as the lead candidate of the centre-right European People's Party. Nonetheless, her statement comes amidst a series of setbacks for TikTok in Europe.

Last week, TikTok opted to suspend a feature that rewarded users for engagement with the TikTok Lite application, following the Commission's scrutiny of this feature in accordance with the bloc's content moderation regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA).

TikTok is also facing a separate investigation, also under the DSA, for alleged inadequacies in safeguarding minors. According to the DSA, the Commission retains the authority to temporarily suspend a service as a last resort in any such instance.

Other candidates present at the debate displayed a more cautious stance. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the primary candidate of the liberal ALDE party, remarked that the situation regarding TikTok warrants close observation.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

Bogdan Nigai

Bogdan Nigai

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