A petition has been registered on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine demanding to block the TikTok social network in the country. The author of the petition is Oksana Andrusya asserts, that TikTok poses a threat to national security and society in general because it is owned by a Chinese company and collects users’ personal information.
“I want to draw your attention to the damage that the TikTok social network is causing to Ukrainian society and, moreover, to the national security of Ukraine. The TikTok social network is popular both among ordinary citizens of Ukraine and among civil servants, military personnel and others who are in contact with sensitive information (especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war). TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Using its influence on the company that owns TikTok, China can put pressure on the social network to create content that is widely distributed, promoting certain narratives, which can negatively affect not only the spread of hostile propaganda in Ukraine, but also the formation of the information field and perception of Ukraine in different countries. TikTok’s algorithms miss blatant misinformation“, – emphasizes Oksana Andrusya.
She suggests that the Verkhovna Rada consider a draft law on blocking TikTok in Ukraine and prohibiting its use by civil servants, military personnel and other persons related to state policy and defense.
In four days, the petition has collected more than 10,814 signatures out of the 25,000 required.
TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has become a global phenomenon, but its ties to China have raised concerns about data security and potential influence on public opinion, it said. In April 2024, the US already banned TikTok at the federal level.
