TikTok is prohibited from EU Commission phones over security and data protection.

The executive body of the European Union announced on Thursday that TikTok has been temporarily removed from employee phones as a cybersecurity precaution, reflecting growing concerns from Western officials about the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.

The use of TikTok on company-issued smartphones or employee-owned devices used for work has been suspended, marking a first for the European Commission.

Due to concerns that the massively popular app could be used to spread pro-Beijing sentiments or collect user information, TikTok is coming under closer examination from Europe and the U.S. in regard to security and data protection. It happens at a time when China and the West are engaged in a larger technological arms race including everything from surveillance balloons to computer chips.

Following similar actions in the U.S., where Congress and more than half of the states have banned TikTok from official government devices, the EU has taken similar steps.

At a press conference in Brussels, Sonya Gospodinova, a spokesman for the commission, stated that the decision was made in order to “improve the commission’s cybersecurity.” Additionally, the measure aims to defend the commission from cybersecurity risks and practices that could be used against the commission’s business environment.

Public policy representative for TikTok located in Brussels, Caroline Greer, stated that the ban was “misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.”

She added that TikTok, which has 125 million users in the 27-nation European Union, is “continuing to develop” its approach to data protection and that “we have sought a meeting to set the record straight.” This entails establishing three data centers in Europe and reducing data transported outside of the region.

A spokesperson for the commission declined to comment on whether a specific incident led to the suspension or what would be required to have it lifted.

On March 15, employees would need to remove TikTok from any devices they use for work, according to EU authorities, but they did not specify how this requirement would apply to those who use personal phones.

The justice minister of Norway, which is not one of the EU’s 27 member states, was compelled to issue an apology this month after failing to report that she had TikTok loaded on her government-issued phone.

The EU has also put pressure on TikTok to abide by planned new digital regulations designed to get major internet platforms to remove harmful and unlawful content and adhere to the bloc’s stringent data privacy laws.