Full list of countries that have banned TikTok over cybersecurity concerns — and other reasons
G
lobal social media giant TikTok has been criticised and questioned by numerous governments across the globe, with the White House the latest in a long list of those worried.
The US government said it has backed a new bill being passed that could give it the power to ban the platform nationwide.
The new legislation, introduced on Tuesday (March 7) this week by a number of senators, would give the US commerce department new powers to ban the Chinese-owned video app TikTok and “other foreign-based technologies if they pose national security threats”.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the intelligence committee, confirmed the move and said the new bill would also apply to any other foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.
TikTok replied in a statement that any “US ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide”.
And it is not only the US who have raised concerns over the platform.
British Conservative MP Alicia Kerns openly warned Brits against using the app, saying the platform was exposing users’ personal data to “hostile” threats, like the Chinese government.
While the owners of TikTok, ByteDance, have tried their best to settle lawsuits and appease concerns, a number of nations have decided to ban it either totally or partially.
Here is a comprehensive look at all the countries that have banned TikTok.
United States
New legislation has been backed that would see a nationwide ban of the platform but fears were also raised last month.
On February 28, the US government revealed that it had ordered all of its federal employees to remove TikTok from their government-issued phones to protect confidential data.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry criticised the move, saying: “We firmly oppose those wrong actions. The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies, and provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US.”
They added: “How unsure of itself can the world’s top superpower like the US be to fear young people’s favourite app like that.”
Canada
The North American nation also banned TikTok from being installed on any government-issued devices.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, explained the reason, saying: “I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones, many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,
“I’m always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them.”
The European Union
The wave of bans within the EU began with the European Commission and the EU Council temporarily banning TikTok from employee phones as a cybersecurity measure.
Later, on Tuesday, February 28, the European Parliament revealed that they would follow suit.
Aside from downloading the video-sharing app on their work phones, employees have also been barred from going on the platform on their private devices if their parliament email and other network accesses are installed on them.
READ MORE
India
India banned TikTok back in June 2020, alongside a number of other Chinese apps, as the nation believes it threatens its national security and defence, but also because it felt that it encourages pornography.
Before the ban, India was TikTok’s largest international market, with more than 200 million users.
Taiwan
In 2022, the Taiwanese government banned TikTok from all public-sector devices following concerns that the Chinese government was conducting “cognitive warfare” against the nation.
Pakistan
Pakistan has banned the video-sharing app a number of times, with the latest ban concluding in November 2021.
Afghanistan
In April 2022, a Taliban spokesperson shared that the government was planning to ban the app because of the negative impact it had on the younger generation and its inconsistencies with their Islamic laws.
As it stands, TikTok remains available in the country.
Iran
In Iran, TikTok is entirely banned as TikTok’s rules and Iran’s laws are not compatible.
