Dutch civil servants banned from using TikTok on work phones

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National civil servants will be banned from using social media services TikTok on your work phone To eliminate potential risks of espionage.

Office phones used by the state’s 140,000 civil servants will be changed to allow only approved apps, Attorney General Alexandra Van Haffelen said in a briefing to lawmakers on Tuesday. This means that “espionage-sensitive apps” will no longer be accepted, the minister said.

The move follows recommendations from the National Security Agency AIVD, which warned of a “high risk of espionage from countries implementing cyber programs targeting the Netherlands and its interests.” Such countries include Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, the minister said.

The United Kingdom and Belgium have already banned the use of TikTok by public officials, and the European Commission has voted in favor of a similar move.In the United States, social media services are banned at the federal level.

Van Huffelen said that although the measure applies only to government officials, “it is important to raise awareness about the data processing that these types of apps enable.”

“The Cabinet will focus on this issue going forward and will update parliament by the summer,” she said.