TikTok ban: the PTB-PVDA denounces the government's discriminatory measures
The PTB reacts to the announcement of the federal government banning the TikTok application on the phones and computers of federal employees. A discriminatory decision, according to Nabil Boukili, PTB-PVDA deputy in charge of data protection issues.
"The United States and its multinationals are the champions of privacy violation and espionage by computer means. Even today, US intelligence services can freely access our data, for example on social networks. The government chooses to attack TikTok, when, in the words of Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne himself, there is no established abuse. Why this double standard? Is espionage acceptable when done by the United States? ", asks the Marxist deputy.
Case in point: in 2018, the British company Cambridge Analytica found itself at the center of a global scandal. The company "sucked up" the data of 87 million Facebook users in an effort to target pro-Brexit and pro-Donald Trump posts. A direct attack on democracy that has not led to any concrete measures in the political sphere.
"We need to protect our privacy on all platforms. Not only TikTok, but also Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... We know that the business model of these companies is based on the exploitation of our data. A ban will not improve the situation. Instead, powerful tools must be put in place: a truly independent Data Protection Authority to control what happens with our data, the advertising of algorithms or the use of open source," concludes Nabil Boukili.
The PTB-PVDA also proposes the creation of clear rules for platforms to protect our data and our privacy. A policy that can only be carried out at the European level, according to the deputy of the left party.
