German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said on Tuesday in Brussels that Europe should follow the US example and put TikTok's European business "in European hands" before meeting EU counterparts. [1, 2, 3]
Weimer said TikTok collects data on Europe's young people on a very large scale and that Europe does not know exactly where that data goes. He said the company should be treated like other platforms that face scrutiny over control of user information. [1, 2, 3]
TikTok has tried to ease EU data concerns by storing European users' data in Europe and limiting access to it. The company remains under close watch in the bloc as officials examine its content practices and wider data handling. [1]
The remarks came as the European Commission continues to scrutinize TikTok under the bloc's digital content rules. The app is also under a separate EU probe opened in late 2024 over alleged foreign interference during the Romanian presidential elections. [1]
Weimer's comments echoed a US case in which ByteDance ceded control of TikTok's US operations to a majority American-owned joint venture after a government threat to ban the app there. [1, 2, 3]
The minister made the remarks in Brussels before meeting EU culture officials. [1, 2, 3]
