TikTok move from the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, it has been recommended that the Chinese social media platform TikTok be deleted from public phones used by civil servants due to security and espionage concerns. In a written statement on the government website, it was stated that it was requested that TikTok and similar applications with a high susceptibility to espionage be deleted from public phones in the Netherlands immediately due to security concerns. It was noted that the decision was made upon the recommendation of the Dutch Security and Intelligence Agency (AIVD) that, "The use of applications by public employees belonging to companies in countries that follow aggressive cyber policies increases the risk of espionage." The statement included the following statements by Alexandra van Huffelen, Minister of State for Royal Relations and Digitization, as follows: "Questions in parliament and international developments have led us to conduct serious examinations for more than just one application. We are working on structural solutions that will allow civil servants and the government to feel safe in the digital world." The statement noted that the government is working on a system where applications that pose a security risk will be completely removed from public phones and only pre-approved and permitted applications can be downloaded to public phones. The number of those joining the TikTok ban is increasing In the US, many government agencies, including the White House, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, banned TikTok without waiting for a vote in Congress in December 2022. The EU Commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU), imposed a TikTok ban on its employees due to security concerns on February 23. Following the EU Commission and Council, the European Parliament (EP), one of the EU institutions, also banned the Chinese social media platform TikTok for its employees due to security concerns. The Danish Ministry of Defense banned its employees from using the Chinese social media platform TikTok on devices used in official service as part of cybersecurity measures. The Belgian Federal Government banned the Chinese social media platform TikTok on computers and mobile devices used by civil servants on March 10. The UK announced on March 16 that it would immediately ban the use of TikTok on public phones and other electronic devices.