Possibility of banning TikTok in Europe should be considered. It is weapon of influence, - Estonian Foreign Ministry
Estonia considers the blocking of the Chinese social network TikTok to be the right decision. It must be booked in Europe.
This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tahkna, Censor.NET reports citing RBC-Ukraine.
He noted that in recent years, Europe has seen TikTok spreading disinformation, fake news and influencing election results.
"The most striking example of this was recently in Romania, where the results of the first round of the presidential election were annulled because Russia's interference in the election was revealed through a broad online campaign," the minister said.
Tsakhkna believes that "TikTok is not a media outlet, but a weapon of influence." At the same time, he admitted that the collected user data could be obtained by the Chinese authorities. According to him, the latest yearbook of the Foreign Intelligence Service emphasizes that TikTok collects a large amount of information that can be useful for intelligence gathering, blackmail, and cyberattacks.
"In light of the above, taking into account the security risks, it is necessary to consider the possibility of banning TikTok in Europe," the Estonian Foreign Minister said.
The United States fears that TikTok may transfer data to China
The US authorities are concerned that TikTok may be transferring data on American users to China.
In April 2024, the US Congress approved a bill to block TikTok due to a possible threat to national security. The same month, it was signed by Joe Biden.
ByteDance, the company that owns the service, was given 270 days to sell to an American owner. This period expires on January 19, the day before Donald Trump's inauguration.
On January 16, Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that the law on blocking TikTok "allows" the extension of the deadline for the sale of the service until a deal is concluded.
Earlier it was reported that Joe Biden would not impose a ban on TikTok in the United States, leaving the decision to the next President Donald Trump.
