State officials and federal politicians in Austria will have to remove the short video app TikTok from their business mobile phones in the future. The ban is designed to prevent TikTok’s Chinese operator from accessing state data as much as possible.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said this on Wednesday. For state and community politics and administration, there is a recommendation not to use the app for business either, he said.
Karner stressed that Austrian politicians and officials should continue to use TikTok on private devices. In addition, departments such as the Ministry of the Interior would also inform the public via TikTok.
Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the EU Commission had previously issued similar rules for the state sector. In Germany, TikTok is not installed on government mobile phones, nor can it be downloaded.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance. It is not a state-owned company. But critics point out that the Communist Party and authorities in China have many ways to influence internet companies and gain access to their data.
(oee/sda/dpa)
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
