The Danish parliament has urged lawmakers and employees against having TikTok on work phones as a measure against the risk the app poses to the security of the country. According to the parliament, this is to guard against “espionage.”
Similar actions have been taken against TikTok in several countries, including states in the US, and the EU. Most countries around the world now see the Chinese-owned app as a major security threat, especially as it has to do with data privacy. The US in particular sees the app as a threat to its internal security.
Denmark’s parliamentary Speaker Søren Gade said an email has been sent out to lawmakers and employees with “a strong recommendation that you delete the TikTok app if you have previously installed it.”
The assembly, according to Associated Press, acted after an assessment from Denmark’s Center for Cyber Security. The center had said there was a risk of espionage. “We adapt accordingly,” Gade said in a statement per AP.
Several lawmakers in Denmark had in the last couple of days announced that they had uninstalled the app from their official phone for reasons that bother on cybersecurity.
Last month, Canada announced that TikTok would no longer have access to government-owned devices in the country.
The Canadian government believes that the Chinese-owned app presents an “unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” and the method by which the app’s parent company ByteDance collects data create vulnerability to cyber-attacks.
A statement issued by the President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier reads:
“The Government of Canada is committed to keeping government information secure. We regularly monitor our systems and take action to address risks.
“Effective February 28, 2023, the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future. Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”
Canada said the decision to stop the use of the app in government-owned device is precautionary, especially when you consider concerns about the legal framework governing the information collected from mobile devices. It adds that this is in line with the approach of its international partners.
