VVD is also moving away from TikTok

Like government officials, VVD is leaving TikTok. Member of Parliament Queen Rajkowski has said the party is banning social media for security reasons. He points out the risks of the video app as TikTok is managed by Chinese developers. “Our security services see a high risk of espionage from such apps. That’s why, as a political party, we don’t think it’s wise to use Tiktok,” he informs. Other categories will continue albeit to a limited extent.

The cabinet recently called on government officials to stop having TikTok on their work phones because of the parent company’s China-based “offensive cyber plan against the Netherlands” in that country. Ultimately, Secretary of State Alexandra van Haflen (Digital Affairs) wants civil servants to no longer have applications from countries like China, but Iran and Russia. Coalition parties VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie are in favor of the ban, as indicated earlier this year.

Popular among young people especially with short films, the app was recently debated in the US Congress. There, the company’s top man in the US was questioned about the mission and working methods. Many countries fear that user data will be accessed by the Chinese government. The company vehemently denies this is happening.

D66 MP Hind Dekker-Abdulazis recently called on her fellow MPs to keep TikTok off their work phones. He finds it “incomprehensible” that members of parliament are still allowed to use TikTok on their phones because “members of the Senate and House of Representatives also work with sensitive government information.” He submitted this to the Executive Committee of the House of Representatives. Spokesmen say the presidium will discuss it further, but they say political groups should make decisions about dangerous uses.

Other parties like BBB, SP and GroenLinks currently use TikTok. The BBB says, “Every app has potential risks. As long as there are no restrictions, we will continue to use these platforms to inform citizens about our work as a member of parliament,” said BBB President Caroline van der Plas, who has not personally used the app.

SP also continues to use his TikTok account and feels that party members should decide whether they use the app. GroenLinks will keep its company account, but all party members have removed TikTok from their phones, according to a spokesperson. JA21 also has an account, but it has been inactive for months due to sensitivity, according to a spokesperson.