philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

TikTok’s popularity among European politicians rises despite security fears

... With European elections approaching in June, mainstream politicians are wary of ceding ground to fringe parties who have successfully exploited its short video format. ...

TikTok says security warnings are unwarranted and it does not collect more information than other apps.

In a bid to assuage concerns, it launched, opens new tab a site to store European users' data in Dublin last year and hired a third-party security firm to monitor data flows. ...

ByteDance has denied using its product for spying, while the Chinese government has also denied any such intention.

Harris, 37, was an early adopter in March 2021, producing videos that ranged from a 60-second budget summary with musical background to footage of him making a cup of tea when watching football. ...

"We cannot leave social media to the AfD", he said, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that surged to become Germany's second-most popular. ...

"Another reason we are on it (TikTok), is that we don't want to leave the field to the far-left or the far-right," a Green party spokesperson told Reuters.

"Young people get news through social media and TikTok is one of the biggest platforms. Some politicians are comfortable with that, others are not."

See the full story here: https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktoks-popularity-among-european-politicians-rises-despite-security-fears-2024-04-08/