Members of the House of Representatives embraced TikTok en masse on the eve of the latest election. However, many have since stopped doing it, according to a tour by BNR. Privacy considerations often play a part in this.
BNR emailed 50 TikTok viewable MPs to ask to what extent they were actually still active. Half of these responded. Eleven accounts turned out to be fake, fifteen actually belonged to MPs. Seven of them indicated that they have removed the app from their phones. Privacy protection has often been cited as a reason.
“I have decided not to do anything else on TikTok because of the privacy/China link,” wrote Derk Boswijk (CDA). “I took it to be safe,” says Queeny Rajkowski (VVD). Johnas van Lammeren and Leonie Vestering (PvdD) also knew the app from their phones. “The Party for the Animals is very concerned about TikTok and the invasion of our privacy,” a spokesperson wrote. GroenLinks Member of Parliament Kauthar Bouchallikht even deletes the app after each use. “He does it as a precaution,” says a spokesperson for GroenLinks. “He thinks it’s important to be able to communicate with his supporters, but he also sees risks.” Faisal Boulakjar and Anne-Marijke Podt (both D66) are removing the app for other reasons. Many other MPs use the platform but don’t have the app on their phones.
TikTok has been used to track down journalists
The security issue surrounding TikTok is not theoretical. In December, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, was forced to admit to spying on Buzzfeed and Financial Times reporters through the app. Even the House of Representatives takes this into account. An information campaign should make members aware of the risks of using the app, writes a spokesperson. Members of Parliament are free to use TikTok. “In principle, they must have access to all (information) channels they deem necessary for the performance of their duties.” The “technical measures” should ensure that work phones remain secure.
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Government ‘in negotiation’ with TikTok, temporary stop to advertising
Since last summer the national government has been advised to be ‘secret’ with the use of TikTok and not to advertise on the medium. Accounts aimed at the general public, including those of the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport and Defence, have since been silent. A Department of Public and Communications spokesman says this advice remains in place. Since then, “a conversation” has taken place between the DPC and TikTok. “The DPC has indicated that the board can be changed if Tiktok adjusts its policy and complies with laws and regulations again,” the spokesperson writes.
It’s unclear exactly what rules TikTok violates. The ad break should likely be seen in the context of how TikTok personalises ads, something that sparked discussion in Italy in July. TikTok has also been involved in other privacy breaches in recent years. For example, US site Buzzfeed revealed last summer that Chinese employees had access to the personal data of users around the world. In the Netherlands, TikTok was fined in 2021 for violating children’s privacy. More recently, the Party for the Animals also asked questions in parliament about the possibility of TikTok recording keystrokes, a so-called keylog function, which would make it possible for passwords to be stolen.
The Netherlands await investigations
The use of TIkTok on government equipment has now been banned in many US states. The Netherlands is also voting for a ban. ChristenUnie even advocated through Don Ceder for a ban on the app “in its current form.” The Party for the Animals prefers to see TikTok ‘blocked’ as long as the keylogger hasn’t been disabled yet.
Responsible Secretary of State Alexandra Van Huffelen (D66) previously told AGConnect that it was awaiting an investigation by the Irish regulator before action was taken against the app. The results of this study are expected “early 2023”.
TikTok response
TikTok says in a response to BNR that it takes privacy issues “very seriously”. The spying on journalists was “a clumsy initiative by a few individuals” who were punished for it, writes a spokesman. Their own investigation would prove that the FT and BuzzFeed journalists were the only victims.
We have a strong culture of compliance and operate in line with relevant laws and regulations, including the European Privacy Legislation (GDPR), writes TikTok. “We welcome the opportunity to work with the relevant authorities in the Netherlands to clarify any misunderstandings and explain how we can protect our community and their data.”
TikTok also says it has “suspended” the introduction of controversial parts of its ad targeting pending further consultations with European authorities.
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
