Can TikTok's use in Kosovo be prevented?

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

So it says for Radio Free EuropeKosovo Government spokesman Progress Kryeziu.

“Analysis and assessments of institutions and experts regarding the situation and risks of national cyber security are ongoing. Measures and recommendations for the future are drawn only on the results of these tests. Currently, no ban on the TikTok social network has been discussed at the local level”, Kryeziu says.

The government decided to stop TickTok from state institutions due to cyber risks which, according to the executive, this app represents.

TickTok is a popular app for short video distribution, whose mother company, ByteDance, is based in China. In 2021, TikTok was declared the world's most downloaded app, used by all ages, but young people are the main targets. This has raised concerns about their safety every day.

Many countries, including the United States and Canada, have banned the use of this app on government equipment because of dilemmas that TikTok can share users' data with Chinese Government.

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

Arbisa Shefkiu, 28-year-old from Gjilan, sees TikTok as an excellent platform to express creativity and connect with other people from around the world.

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

“This includes educating youth for 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 authorities and the community co-operate to find solutions to ensure a safe environment for all users.

“Education for social platforms”

Commissioner for Information and Privateness Krenare Sogojevo-Dermaku tells Radio Free Europe that Kosovo has established contact with TikTok and some changes have been made for the use of this app in the country.

Sogojevo-Dermaku says that from these meetings it is set to translate privacy policies into Albanian, and to establish the restriction of age 13 to 16 for users of this app.

It estimates Kosovo needs education for the use of social platforms.

“... to know and learn how to behave online, to know how to save ourselves and others from online abuses, that's what we should do”, she points out.

What are the dangers of TickTok?

TikTok's use could pose various dangers, ranging from privacy to risking mental health, due to the dependence that can be caused by application use, says Tanzer Abazi, chairman of the Board at the Albanian Cyber Association.

“TickTok collects a large amount of personal data from his users, including equipment information, location, camera, microphone, audio, nearby equipment and user behavior. This data can be used for commercial purposes or divided by third parties”, Abazi says.

According to him, concern is also the fact that TikTok has central bases and servers in China, which according to him, is a non-friendly state with Kosovo.

China does not recognise Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008.

“There are concerns that data collected by TikTok can be used by governments or other actors for unwanted purposes, including supervision or interference in user privacy, Abazi says.

Who has completely forbidden the use of TickTok?

While many European Union countries and even European bloc institutions have banned TikTok's use in state equipment and within state institutions, there are countries that have fully banned the use of this app.

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

The reasons for the ban are mainly linked to cyber security and the content this app offers.

The United States has also threatened to prevent its use.

Driven by major concerns among American lawmakers that China may have access to American data, or observe them through this app, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill in April that will ban TikTok in the United States if its owner of Chinese Byedance firm doesn't sell it in a year.

The Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has said he has no intention of selling the famous app. / REL/