European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a TikTok ban in the European Union is possible, as she knows the dangers.
The US moved closer to banning TikTok last week. The Senate voted in favor of the legislation that could pave the way to such a move. However, the lawmakers aren’t necessarily aiming to ban the app. The first option is for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US company. The Chinese firm has up to 12 months to sell TikTok, or it risks being banned.
The US isn’t the only Western country targeting the popular social networking app. According to recent remarks from Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, the EU is also contemplating a ban. Von der Leyen said during a debate ahead of local EU elections that she “knows exactly the danger of TikTok.”
The social network is already under investigation in the EU for alleged violations of local laws. That’s on top of any worries that TikTok might be spying on citizens, or that it may offer China a way to manipulate public opinion. These are the arguments US lawmakers have put forward in recent years as they look to ban TikTok in the US.
As is the case in America, TikTok is banned from government phones in the EU.
