TikTok Ban: List of Countries That Banned Chinese Short-Video Making App Over Cybersecurity, Misinformation and Privacy Concerns

New York, April 24: The US Senate passed to a bill to ban TikTok from the country over security concerns. The TikTok Ban Bill was introduced in the United States as the officials feared that the Chinese government was using the platform to spy on American users and thereby spread misinformation and conspiracy theories. Like the US, many other countries have banned TikTok due to security issues.

According to a report by The Guardian, the US Senate passed the TikTok Ban Bill that would force a sale of the app or face an outright ban in the country. India was among the first countries to ban TikTok on June 19, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian government banned TikTok and many other Chinese apps because of the users' security. TikTok Faces Nationwide Ban in US as President Joe Biden Prepares To Sign ‘Historic’ Bill.

List of Countries That Banned TikTok Over Risk of Cybersecurity and Privacy

TikTok has been banned not only in India and the United States but also in several other countries due to privacy and cybersecurity concerns. However, some countries have only partially banned the platform. Some countries have banned TikTok nationwide and deleted it from the country's major app stores. Here's the list of countries that banned TikTok. Elon Musk-Run X To Launch Dedicated TV App for Videos Soon.

• India: The Indian government, led by PM Narendra, banned the Chinese platform TikTok and 118 apps in September 2020, 43 apps in December, and over 300 apps in 2023.
• Australia—In April 2023, Australia banned TikTok from all federal-owned devices due to security concerns.
• European Union: The EU is concerned about tech companies and the safety of its citizens. The EU banned TikTok from using staff devices from its institutions. After the parliament banned TikTok, lawmakers and staff were told to remove the short-video-making app from their devices.
• France: France banned TikTok over data security measures. The government employees were advised about concerns about data security. The French government reportedly banned other applications like Twitter and Instagram from government employees' devices.
• Taiwan: In December 2022, Taiwan also banned TikTok after the FBI warned that the app posed a threat to national security. According to a report, TikTok mobile phones, tablets, government devices, and PCs were banned, and China-made software was suggested not to be Used.
• Canada: The Canadian government said that TikTok could not be used in government-issued devices because of privacy and security risks.
• New Zealand: The TikTok app was prohibited due to cybersecurity concerns about the devices of lawmakers and staff members at New Zealand's Parliament.
• Nepal: According to a report, Nepal banned TikTok to protect its "social harmony".
• Pakistan: Considering the app "immoral and indecent", Pakistan banned TikTok four times, according to a report.
• Belgium: Worrying about cybersecurity, misinformation and privacy threats, Belgium banned TikTok from government-issued devices.
• Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan banned TikTok saying it affected children's moral development.

Besides these countries, TikTok is also banned in the following countries over the same reasons.

• Malta
• Latvia
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Austria
• Ireland

According to details published by Statistica, TikTok had over 148 million users in the United States as of January 2024. The second-largest country that had 126 million TikTok users was Indonesia. According to Statistica, TikTok is still operational in the countries like Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Russia, Philippines, Thailand and more.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2024 12:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).