LONDON (AP) — TikTok is in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, where a new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, divests. It would be the biggest blow yet to the popular video-sharing app, which faces various restrictions across the world.
TikTok is already banned in a handful of countries and on government-issued devices in a number of others, due to official concerns that the app poses privacy and cybersecurity issues.
These fears are reflected in the American law, which constitutes the culmination of long-standing bipartisan fears in Washington that China’s communist leaders could force ByteDance to hand over American user data, or influence Americans by removing or promoting certain content. TikTok has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government and its CEO has taken a defiant stance, vowing to fight back.
Here are the places that have partial or complete bans on TikTok:
AFGHANISTAN
TikTok has been banned since 2022, as has the video game PUBG, after the country’s Taliban leaders decided to ban access to it on the grounds that it protects young people from “being misled”.
AUSTRALIA
TikTok is not permitted on devices issued by the Australian federal government. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said he made the decision after consulting with the country’s intelligence and security agencies.
BELGIUM
The National Security Council decided last month to indefinitely ban TikTok on devices owned or paid for by the federal government. The ban was issued as a temporary measure last year due to concerns over cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation. Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the decision was based on warnings from the state security services and the country’s cybersecurity center.
CANADA
Federally issued devices are prohibited from using TikTok. Officials cited an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security and said the app would be removed from devices and employees would no longer be able to download it.
CHINA
TikTok has never been available in mainland China, a fact that CEO Shou Chew mentioned during his testimony before US lawmakers. ByteDance instead offers Chinese users Douyin, a similar video-sharing app that follows Beijing’s strict censorship rules. TikTok also ceased operations in Hong Kong after a sweeping Chinese national security law took effect.
DENMARK
The Danish Ministry of Defense has banned its employees from having TikTok on their work phones, ordering employees who have it installed to remove the app from their devices as soon as possible. The ministry said the reasons for the ban included both “significant security considerations” as well as “a very limited work-related need for use of the app.”
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Parliament, European Commission and EU Council, the three main institutions in the 27-member bloc, imposed a ban on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliament’s ban, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.
FRANCE
“Recreational” use of TikTok and other social media apps like Twitter and Instagram on civil servants’ phones has been banned due to concerns about insufficient data security measures. The French government did not name specific apps but noted that the decision came after other governments took steps targeting TikTok.
INDIA
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps like messaging app WeChat in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops on a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens. Companies were given the opportunity to answer questions about privacy and security requirements, but the ban became permanent in 2021.
INDONESIA
TikTok is not entirely banned in the sprawling and populous Southeast Asian country, only its online retail function, after authorities cracked down on e-commerce transactions made on the social media platforms in order to protect small businesses.
LATVIA
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted that he had deleted his TikTok account and that the app was also banned on official Foreign Ministry smartphones.
THE NETHERLANDS
The Dutch central government has banned apps, including TikTok, from employees’ work phones, citing data security concerns. A government statement did not specifically name TikTok, but said officials are discouraged from having apps “from countries with offensive cyberprogram against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices.
NEPAL
The Himalayan country imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok, saying it disrupted “social harmony” and goodwill and accusing it of a “flow of indecent materials.” Authorities ordered the telecommunications company to block access to the app.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand lawmakers and staff at the national Parliament are being banned from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice from government cybersecurity experts. The app has been removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials can make special arrangements for anyone who needs TikTok to carry out their democratic duties.
NORWAY
Norway’s parliament has banned Tiktok on work devices after the country’s Justice Ministry warned that the app should not be installed on phones assigned to government employees. The Speaker of Parliament said TikTok should not be present on devices with access to the Assembly’s systems and should be removed as quickly as possible. Oslo, the country’s capital, and Bergen, the country’s second-largest city, have also urged municipal workers to remove TikTok from their work phones.
PAKISTAN
Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since 2020, citing concerns that the app promotes immoral content.
SOMALIA
The government has ordered telecommunications companies to block access to TikTok, with the messaging application Telegram and the gaming platform 1XBET. Officials said they were concerned that the platforms could spread extremist content, nude images and other materials considered offensive to Somali culture and Islam.
TAIWAN
Taiwan imposed a ban on TikTok in the public sector after the FBI warned the app posed a national security risk. Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are prohibited from using software made in China, including apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese content app focused on the style of life.
UNITED KINGDOM
British authorities have banned TikTok from mobile phones used by ministers and civil servants. Officials said the ban was a “precautionary measure” for security reasons and did not apply to personal devices. The UK Parliament subsequently banned TikTok from all official devices and the “wider parliamentary network”. The semi-autonomous Scottish government and London City Hall have also banned TikTok from staff devices. The BBC has urged staff to remove TikTok from company devices unless they use it for editorial and marketing reasons.
UNITED STATES
US authorities have ordered government agencies to remove TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. More than half of the 50 US states have also banned the app on official devices, as have Congress and the US armed forces. that of Montana efforts The proposal for a statewide ban failed, as did a proposal in Virginia to stop children from using it.
yahoo
