Which countries have banned TikTok and why?

Posted On: December 16, 2023

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After Britain, New Zealand also wants to ban the use of the TikTok app on devices with access to the government network at the end of March. The reason is concerns about data protection and cybersecurity.

The European Union, the United States, Denmark, Belgium and Canada also recently issued orders restricting the use of TikTok. Experts fear that sensitive information could be revealed if the app is downloaded, especially on government devices.

The video-sharing platform, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has long maintained that it does not share its users’ data with the Chinese government and operates independently.

TikTok denies allegations that it collects more user data than other social media companies, calling the bans “fundamental misinformation” that were decided upon without “consideration or evidence.”

However, many countries remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Western technology companies such as Airbnb, Yahoo and LinkedIn have also left China or reduced their offices there because Beijing imposed a strict data protection law that dictates how companies can collect and store data.

Which countries have already banned or restricted the use of TikTok? Here is an overview.

Britain

On March 16, the minister responsible, Oliver Dowden, announced an immediate ban on the app on official government devices in a statement to the House of Commons.

This is a precautionary measure. Tiktok is rarely used within the government anymore. “It has become clear that there is a risk that certain platforms could access and use sensitive government data.”

It should be possible to make exceptions in individual cases. A Tiktok spokesperson was disappointed by the decision. The ban was based on “fundamental misunderstandings and geopolitical developments,” he said.

EU institutions

The EU Parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Council have imposed a ban on TikTok on their employees’ work mobile phones, also citing cybersecurity concerns.

The ban applies from March 20. The EU institutions also advise their employees to delete the app from their private devices.

New Zealand

New Zealand announced on March 17 that it would ban the app on employees’ mobile phones. Unlike other countries such as Britain, the rule does not apply to all government employees, but only to about 500 people in the parliamentary complex.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he doesn’t have TikTok on his phone anyway. “I’m not that trendy or modern,” he said.

Belgium

Last week, Belgium announced it would remove TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the Belgian government for at least six months. There are concerns about cybersecurity, data protection and disinformation, said the Belgian Prime Minister.

In response to the Belgian announcement, TikTok said the company was “disappointed” but was “ready at any time to meet with authorities to address any concerns and correct misconceptions.”

Denmark

On March 6, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced that it would ban the use of the application in official units to ensure cybersecurity.

In a statement, the ministry wrote that the Scandinavian country’s Cybersecurity Centre, which is part of the Danish foreign intelligence service, had identified an espionage risk.

The Danish government further stated that there are “significant security considerations within the Ministry of Defense combined with a very limited work need to use the app” and that employees “should uninstall TikTok on phones and other work devices as quickly as possible.” “. “.

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USA

The US already approved the corresponding law in December. At the end of February they explained that federal agency employees had one month to remove TikTok from work devices.

This is a response to the risks “to sensitive government data” posed by China’s app. The ban applies only to government devices, although some US lawmakers are advocating for a complete ban. More than half of the 50 US states have also banned the app on government devices.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data with China’s authoritarian government.

Canada

Following the US announcement, Canada also announced that government-issued devices would not be allowed to use TikTok, saying it posed an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security.

Additionally, employees will no longer be able to download the app in the future.

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India

In 2020, India imposed a ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including messaging app WeChat, due to privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops on a disputed border in the Himalayas left 20 Indian soldiers dead and dozens injured.

Companies were given the opportunity to answer questions about privacy and security requirements, but the ban was made permanent in January 2021.

Taiwan

In December 2022, Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that TikTok posed a national security risk.

Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, cannot use software made in China. These include applications such as TikTok, its Chinese counterpart Douyin or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese application for lifestyle content.