Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hinted that banning TikTok in the European Union is an option, during a debate this evening in Maastricht, f

TikTok ban in EU is ‘not excluded,’ von der Leyen says

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2024-04-30 14:30:05

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hinted that banning TikTok in the European Union is an option, during a debate this evening in Maastricht, featuring parties' lead candidates for the bloc's 2024 election.

"It is not excluded," von der Leyen said, after the moderator referred to the United States, where TikTok faces a national ban unless it is sold by its owner, ByteDance.

Von der Leyen didn't appear in her capacity as Commission president in Maastricht, but as the lead candidate of the center-right European People's Party — but the remark comes amid a streak of bad news for TikTok in Europe.

Last week, TikTok decided to suspend a feature that rewarded users for interacting with the TikTok Lite app, after the Commission started looking into the feature under the bloc's content-moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA).

TikTok faces a separate probe — also under the DSA — for alleged failures to protect minors. Under the DSA, the Commission can order the temporary suspension of a service as a last resort in any case.