March 28, 2024

Accusation of Spying Against China – The Federal Government Sees No Need to Take Action on Tiktok at this Time News

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Three million people in Switzerland use Tiktok. Companies and political parties are investing a lot of money in their channels on the app. But the app has been under fire for some time – and banned for fears of spying from China on the company’s cell phones.

It costs 600 to 3000 francs when marketing company Tings produces a Tiktok video for a company. It’s worth it for companies. Because Tiktok is currently the most popular platform for campaigns, followed by Instagram, says Hera Zimmermann, founder of Tings.

Both platforms are very popular. And: “People trust Tiktok to get good, funny content and that’s why brands also want to be represented there,” Zimmermann says.

People trust Tiktok for good and interesting content. This is why brands also want to be represented there.

Its clients include insurance companies and NGOs. Political parties, such as the Zürich FDP, have discovered Tiktok and want to invest more time in the app in the future.

Fear of spying from China

Due to the popularity of the app, it has been heavily criticized. US President Donald Trump wanted to ban Tiktok as early as 2020. The reason was mistrust of the Chinese government, which – according to fears – could use the app to conduct espionage.

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In western states, USA, Canada, New Zealand and European Union have banned the Tiktok app on official mobile phones.

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Since then, India and Afghanistan have banned the app entirely. Several countries prevent their government employees from installing the app on their phones. These include the United States, Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and, more recently, the European Union. Switzerland does – nothing.

Problematic data collection

the The National Testing Institute for Cybersecurity (NTC) published a security analysis on Tiktok on Tuesday. The following points are problematic about the app:

  • Contact details such as names, addresses and phone numbers are sent to Tiktok’s Chinese parent company, Bytedance.
  • The missing end-to-end encryption allows Tiktok to read everything.
  • Using the location service when starting the app allows Tiktok to create user movement profiles.

There is no Tiktok ban on service devices

However, the Federal Chancellery does not consider it necessary to block the application on service machines for this reason. “There is currently no ban on Tiktok on the company’s mobile phones,” she says. However, one is in the process of clarifying what prompted the EU Commission to take the ban.

If it turns out that Tiktok is too sensitive for the majority of the Security Policy Committee, we will take action.

The Federal Chancellery also emphasizes that business data is processed on company mobile phones in an isolated and protected environment, which is called a sandbox. However, the Federal Chancellery and the National Transitional Council recommend restraint when using social media applications on company mobile phones. The situation will continue to be monitored.

The senior vice president is fighting for a ban

However, this does not end the discussion. Mauro Tuina, Senior Vice President, National Counselor sees the lack of a ban as a problem and wants to act as quickly as possible.

The issue will be put on the agenda at one of the upcoming meetings of the Security Policy Committee. “If it turns out that Tiktok is too sensitive for the majority, we will take action.”

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