After TikTok was banned in the US, Europe is also speaking out

After TikTok goes on sale in the US to continue its presence in the country, Europe is also looking into the risks of the app.

Last week, US President Joe Biden criticized the long-awaited TikTok ban. Although the ban came back to life quite unexpectedly and was pushed through within weeks, Trump was actually the one to start it in 2020.

If TikTok wants to continue operating in the US, Bytedance must sell the app to a US company. This does not appear to be the case yet in the European Union. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is now publicly addressing the danger of the app.

The European Union is investigating TikTok

A European ban on TikTok cannot be ruled out, Belgian newspaper Politico reported. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, explains that the risks of TikTok have been known for some time. “The European Union was the first institution in the world to ban the app on business phones,” she said.

The EU is already fanatically targeting big tech companies with its Digital Markets Act. ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, is also under a magnifying glass. The company is subject to two investigations for possible violations of European law.

TikTok in the US: A Brief Summary

It is not yet clear what the future of TikTok is in Europe. But in the United States the story is completely different. There, US President Joe Biden signed a new law forcing ByteDance to sell.

In the next nine months, TikTok must be sold to an American company if the popular app wants to continue to exist in the country. It will also have the option to extend an additional three months, but only if there is already a buyer in mind.

This article tells you everything you need to know about the actions of the United States and how exactly the embargo happened. On our Freakin' Nerds podcast last Tuesday, we also discussed the topic extensively and actually talked about the European ban.