Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday banned federal officials from using TikTok on work calls, becoming the latest country to take steps against the Chinese app.
Several national governments in Europe have restricted TikTok to government employees, out of concern that authorities in Beijing could use the video-sharing network to access sensitive user data.
European Union government institutions have also told staff in recent weeks to purge the app from smartphones and laptops used for work purposes.
“We should not be naive: TikTok is a Chinese business that now has to cooperate with the Chinese intelligence services,” said De Croo.
“That’s the reality.”
A TikTok spokesperson said on Friday: “We are disappointed by this suspension, which is based on fundamental misinformation about our company.
“TikTok is not a Chinese company. Our parent company is also incorporated outside of China and is majority owned by global institutional investors.
The user data is not stored in China, the spokesperson said.
“The Chinese government cannot force other countries to provide data stored on their territory.
“We are ready to meet with officials to resolve the issue and set the record straight on any misunderstandings.”
Belgium’s move – implemented in the initial six months – follows a risk assessment to potential espionage by the country’s cyber security and intelligence agencies.
It does not include the use of video sharing applications on the personal phones of civil servants, ministers, or members of parliament.
Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, have taken an increasingly tough approach to the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
TikTok launched a new push to ease European concerns about security on Wednesday, saying it was working with a third-party European security firm to monitor and review how it handles data.
TikTok said that European user data will be stored in two centers in Dublin and one in Norway from 2023.