“It is a smart step by the province of Drenthe to remove TikTok from work phones. Because doing nothing is not an option,” says PhD student in Cyber Security Jasper Hofman from Emmen.
The province announced today that officials are no longer allowed to have TikTok on their business devices. Yesterday it was announced that the provinces of Groningen and Limburg and the municipality of The Hague are also banning TikTok.
With his company Hofsecure, Hofman advises companies and organizations in the field of cyber resilience, as he calls it. Social media such as TikTok is one of the components. “You have many different platforms from different countries and you have to look carefully at the conditions you accept.”
TikTok comes from China and the terms and conditions state that the company is allowed to view quite a bit of information. “And that makes it exciting,” says Jasper Hofman. For organizations such as municipalities, provinces and companies, the privacy of residents or customers can be endangered. For example, if conversations can be listened in or emails can be viewed. On a business phone you have a chance that there will be confusion.”
According to the cybersecurity advisor, this does not mean that an app like TikTok can no longer be used at all. Measures are needed to shield data. A click on or off at the conditions is not enough, as far as Hofman is concerned. “No, it is really about special software to prevent information being obtained.”
As far as Hofman is concerned, those privacy dangers apply to more apps. “Think of new developments such as ChatGPT (a chatbot with artificial intelligence, ed.). For example, if people enter important company information there for a nice summary, that is not wise. It does not mean that people or companies can no longer use these types of apps at all. use, but especially look at how you can do it in a safe way. For example, purchase your own chatbot and do not use the online version.”
What makes it difficult is that with an app like TikTok you are actually forced to accept the conditions, otherwise the app will not work. So consumers regularly click on agreement, without really knowing what they are consenting to. “China has very different laws and regulations. You notice that they are increasingly adapted to European rules. The European laws and regulations are also very concerned with protecting the consumer. More and more attention is being paid to how the conditions can be implemented in time for new apps, for example, so it is not the case that the consumer is not protected at all,” says Hofman reassuringly.
The US state of Montana has now passed a law that prohibits the provision of TikTok. Jasper Hofman does not see it coming that far in the Netherlands. “You have to adjust the legislation for that, it takes a lot of time. And you’re talking about hypes, then a new hype will take its place.”
The Drenthe cyber security advisor calls on organizations such as municipalities and provinces to weigh up; is this necessary for the organization? And is it worth the risk? “If you think so, it is best to put an app like TikTok on a separate phone, where nothing else happens. You must separate consumer use and business use. And make sure that all your equipment is up-to-date.”