Western double standards: France wants to ban TikTok

The West has double standards: Last year, Emmanuel Macron criticized Tehran for temporarily restricting access to social networks. After the recent protests in France, the president proposed to block social networks during the violent riots in France's major cities. Paris is now even bringing a ban on TikTok into play.

It was only ten months ago that French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Tehran for restricting access to social networks and messenger services during the massive unrest in Iran. After the recent unrest in France, France's president has now proposed to "temporarily" block social networks during the violent riots in France's major cities as part of the double standards of Western politics. Above all, the messenger service Snapchat and the video platform TikTok became central communication media for young groups.

Now the French Senate is going one step further: The deputies are said to have called for a ban on the social media platform TikTok. This is according to a more than 180-page report on the tactics of the Chinese operator of the social media app of an investigative committee of the parliamentary body. The authors warn that the platform could pose a "threat to national security".

The main points of criticism cited in the report are the possible "influence" of the Chinese state on TikTok, the "non-transparent handling" of user data and the "psychological consequences" of the algorithm, which promotes addictive behavior and poses a threat to "public health". The report does not skimp on warnings and accuses the app of having an "international clout" of the "regime in Beijing".

TikTok has around 20 million users in France, and globally, TikTok is the most used app in the history of the internet in 2022, with more than three billion downloads. The app has been banned on the official mobile phones of state officials in France since March. TikTok told Euractiv that it disagreed with the report's findings. It was a matter of "miscalculations" by the senators.

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