D66 wants the use of social media platform TikTok to be limited to civil servants. “We have to play it safe, because there are risks,” says Hind Dekker-Abdulaziz of D66 at BNR Digital.
Listen to Hind Dekker-Abdulaziz (D66)’s full conversation at BNR Digital here.
According to Dekker-Abdulaziz, there are “enough reasons” to label TikTok as “dangerous”. ‘Now we have many signs that there is a risk, it’s risky anyway.’ The deputy refers to TikTok’s spying practices against journalists from BuzzFeed and the Financial Times. Dekker-Abdulaziz stresses that the ban should apply to all civil servants, including police and defense employees. They shouldn’t be allowed to use the TikTok app on their work phone, says the MP.
Unlike a handful of other MPs, D66 MP himself is not active on TikTok. “I’ve never been on TikTok and I’ve also banned my kids from going on TikTok.” A tour by BNR shows several MPs have removed the app from their phones due to the dangers they see in the social media platform.
No coalition deal
At the moment it is still possible for civil servants to use TikTok, although the national government has advised to be ‘secretive’ with the app. Various government bodies have also stopped advertising through the Chinese company. There appears to be no agreement within the ruling coalition to ban TikTok at the moment. VVD MP Queeny Rajkowski thinks it is still too early to proceed with a ban. “First I want to be sure what exactly the app can do, then look into those kinds of decisions.” You also refer to various ongoing investigations into TikTok and its dangers.
D66 MP Dekker-Abdulaziz doesn’t want to wait. “There is enough evidence and signs. Those investigations can continue in the meantime, then we will be 100% sure and we can also take other steps. But now we can err on the side of caution, not to take risks.’
Extremism, espionage and Chinese influence
All over the world, there is a lot of concern about TikTok and its usage among young people. This would make the algorithm compelling. Research also shows that the sophisticated algorithm can take extremism and self-harm into hand. Also, people are concerned about the privacy of TikTok users. In addition to possible espionage, personal data is not stored securely according to European legislation. People in the West also fear that the Chinese regime could affect TikTok, because the app is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
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.
