On April 24, US President Joe Biden signed a bill that would ban TikTok if its owner ByteDance did not sell the app.
The bill requires ByteDance to reach a deal within nine months, with a 90-day extension available to complete it. After this time, the United States will ban app stores from listing the app.
TikTok will challenge this decision in court with a long legal battle ahead. But many countries around the world have already banned the app and ByteDance has not had a chance to relaunch it. These measures have impacted ByteDance’s operations in these countries, creators as well as startups linked to the creator economy.
Here’s how these bans manifest in other markets.
- India: This is perhaps the most well-known TikTok ban, as India is one of the largest consumer markets in the world. In June 2020, the Indian government banned the short video app along with many other Chinese apps, citing national security reasons. ByteDance’s other popular app, Helo, was also on the list of banned apps at that time.
Members of the Working Journalist of India (WJI) hold placards calling on citizens to delete Chinese apps and stop using Chinese products during a protest against the Chinese newspaper Global Times, in New Delhi on June 30, 2020. – TikTok denied on June 30 that it had shared information about Indian users with the Chinese government, after New Delhi banned the popular app citing national security and privacy concerns.
“TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and has not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government,” the statement said. company, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP) (Photo by PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images)
- Afghanistan: In 2022, the Taliban banned TikTok as well as PlayerUnkown’s Battleground (PUBG) for “misleading young people.” In February, Wired reported that many creators in the country were using VPNs to create videos and reach different audiences through TikTok. The report states that the number of TikTok users in Afghanistan is estimated to be between 325,000 and 2 million.
- Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan has imposed restrictions on the use of TikTok in the country since July 2021. In 2022, lawmakers proposed a complete ban after several people used VPNs to use the service.
- Senegal: In August 2023, Senegal blocked TikTok following the conviction of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Citizens used the platform to register their dissent, which resulted in a ban. In October, authorities demanded that ByteDance create a way for officials to delete accounts.
- Somalia: Somalia banned TikTok – as well as Telegram and betting site 1xBet – around the same time as Senegal. However, Somali authorities said these platforms were being used to “spread horrific content and disinformation to the public.”
- Kyrgyzstan: August 2023 was not a good month for TikTok. Kyrgyz authorities also banned the platform, deeming it dangerous for “the health and development of children”. The country’s culture ministry added that teenagers were trying to reconstruct some of the videos, putting their lives in danger.
- Nepal: Nepal banned TikTok in November 2023 because the government believed the app disrupted “social harmony” and impacted “family and social structures.” Authorities were also concerned about the growth of cybercrime on the platform, with local media reporting 1,600 cases linked to TikTok over the past four years. According to a BBC Media action report published in 2023, TikTok was the third most popular social media platform in the country after YouTube and Facebook.
- Other prohibitions: Iran has banned most of the country’s major social networks, including TikTok. However, the exact date of the ban is unknown. Apart from this, several countries and regions including the US, Canada, UK, Belgium, EU, New Zealand, and Australia have banned TikTok from official devices.
Impact of bans
Multiple reports have captured the impact of the TikTok ban on creators who relied on the short-form video platform to reach and even make money. Many small businesses also use TikTok to promote their brands in different ways.
In many ways, India’s ban on TikTok was a pivotal moment as Instagram rushed to launch Reels in India to replace the platform. Meta (then Facebook) launched Reels in the United States a few months later. YouTube also followed suit by introducing Shorts in India.
However, the ban on TikTok has also given rise to many local short video apps. ShareChat, the local social network backed by Twitter and Google, released Moj; Verse Innovation (parent company of news aggregator DailyHunt) launched Josh, Times Internet launched MX Takatak and eventually merged it with Moj in 2022; Advertising company InMobi launched Roposo with other rivals like Mitron, Chingari and Trell also trying to capture the market.
Nepali developers also launched a TikTok rival called Ramailo in November 2023, but its lifespan was short-lived.
Due to the multiplicity of applications, creators have had to invest in putting their content on multiple platforms. It’s important to note that these platforms may not put short videos front and center like TikTok, and their recommendation algorithm may also differ, causing creators to lose their audience. A similar impact could be playing out in the United States, as creators scramble to find a new platform or platforms for their work – if only to guard against the possibility that TikTok’s influence will diminish under the threat of ‘a ban.
Following India’s ban on TikTok, ByteDance had to scale back its operations. Earlier this year, the company’s music streaming service Resso was also shut down in India after the government asked app stores to remove the app.
Aside from the impact on creators, digital rights advocates have also argued that banning platforms like TikTok restricts free speech. Some of these angles could also play out in the United States, where the government and ByteDance will engage in legal battles.
Last year, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said that India had set an “incredibly important precedent” by banning TikTok in 2020. Carr mentioned at the time that the United States must follow the example from India to remove harmful applications.
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