Can the use of TikTok be banned in Kosovo?

Although at the end of June the Government of Kosovo banned the use and operation of the TikTok application in state institutions, such a thing is currently not planned at the country level.

This is what the spokesperson of the Government of Kosovo, Përparim Kryeziu, says for Radio Free Europe.

 "The analyzes and evaluations of institutions and experts regarding the state and risks of national cyber security are continuous. Measures and recommendations for the future are drawn only on the results of these analyses. Currently, the banning of the social network TikTok at the country level has not been discussed", says Kryeziu.

The government decided to ban TikTok in state institutions due to the cyber risks that, according to the executive, this application presents.

TikTok is a popular app for sharing short videos whose parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. In 2021, TikTok has been declared the most downloaded app in the world, used by all ages, but young people are the main target. This has raised concerns about their safety more and more every day.

Many countries, including the United States and Canada, have banned the use of the app on government devices, due to concerns that TikTok may share user data with the Chinese government.

In 2023, TikTok had 1.5 billion monthly active users, while by the end of 2024 it is expected to reach 1.8 billion users. The number of Kosovars using this application is unknown, but videos published by Kosovar users receive millions of views.

Arbisa Shefkiu, 28 years old from Gjilan, sees TikTok as a great platform to express creativity and connect with other people from around the world.

However, she believes that in Kosovo there should be initiatives to increase the awareness and safety of the users of this platform.

"This includes educating youth about the safe and responsible use of technology, as well as monitoring content to prevent abuse and misuse of such platforms," ​​she says.

According to her, it is important that the authorities and the community cooperate to find solutions that ensure a safe environment for all users.

"Education for social platforms"

The Commissioner for Information and Privacy, Krenare Sogojeva-Dermaku, tells Radio Free Europe that Kosovo has established contact with TikTok and some changes have been made for the use of this application in the country.

Sogojeva-Dermaku states that from these meetings it was decided to translate the privacy policies into Albanian, and to set the age limit from 13 to 16 years for the users of this application.

She estimates that Kosovo needs education on the use of social platforms.

"...to know and learn how to behave on the Internet, to know how to protect ourselves and others from misuse on the Internet, this is what we must do," she emphasizes.

What are the dangers of TikTok?

The use of TikTok can present various risks, starting from privacy, to endangering mental health, due to the addiction that can be caused by the use of the application, says Tanzer Abazi, chairman of the Board of the Albanian Cyber ​​Association.

"TikTok collects a large amount of personal data from its users, including information about devices, location, camera, microphone, audio, nearby devices, and user behavior. These data can be used for commercial purposes or shared with third parties", says Abazi.

According to him, the fact that TikTok has its base and central servers in China is also worrying, which, according to him, is a country not very friendly to Kosovo.

China does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, declared in 2008.

"There are concerns that the data collected by TikTok could be used by governments or other actors for unwanted purposes, including surveillance or interference in the privacy of users," says Abazi.

Who has completely banned and who has restricted the use of TikTok?

While many of the countries of the European Union and the institutions of the European bloc have banned the use of TikTok on state equipment and within state institutions, there are countries that have completely banned the use of this application.

India, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan are some of the countries where TikTok is completely banned.

The reasons for the ban are mainly related to cyber security and the content this app provides.

Even the United States of America has threatened to ban the use of this application.

Driven by growing concerns among US lawmakers that China could access Americans' data, or spy on them through the app, the US Senate passed a bill in April that would ban TikTok. in the United States, unless its owner – the Chinese firm ByteDance – sells it within a year.

The Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has said that it has no plans to sell the famous application. /REL/