The app's parent company, Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance, has long been under scrutiny for how it collects and processes user data. TikTok also deserves close attention 'because it's the fastest-growing social media in the world, and its demographic is very young,' she added.

'There are legitimate concerns about potential surveillance by the Chinese regime,' Estelle Masse of Brussels-based digital rights nonprofit Access Now told DW. Politicians around the world have raised concerns about Beijing's potential influence on the app Image: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/picture alliance Like the Trojan horse in Greek mythology, they warn, Beijing could use the app to gain access to sensitive user data and spread misleading information. Their fear is that China's government could hijack TikTok to push its interests.

While the European Union is about to implement legislation that will force TikTok to aggressively police harmful content, countries from the US to Japan are mulling how to regulate the app - or even follow India's example and outright ban it.

Lawmakers worldwide are debating how to restrict, if not outlaw, the use of the Chinese video-streaming service, which has become one of the most popular apps among teenagers around the world. TikTok is in the crosshairs of many authorities and monitoring bodies.

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