Austria to ban TikTok on government-issued devices

Government officials and federal politicians in Austria will delete the video-sharing app TikTok from their government-issued phones, as Vienna aims to bar Chinese operating firm from accessing sensitive data.

Austria Interior Minister,  Gerhard Karner said on Wednesday that for officials and politicians at state and municipal level, a recommendation was issued to also stop using the app for official purposes.

He said the politicians and officials were free to continue using the app in private.

With the move, Austria joins Australia, Canada, Britain and the EU Commission which earlier issued similar regulations for the public sector.

TikTok is operated by the Chinese tech company Bytedance, which is not owned by the state.

However, critics point out that the Communist party and the authorities in China were in theory, able to exert influence on internet companies and access their data.

[dpa/NAN]