OOn Wednesday, Joe Biden signed into law a bill that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States if ByteDance, the app’s Chinese parent company, does not sell it within a year. Lawmakers are increasingly concerned that the app could pose national security concerns for the U.S. if the Chinese government accesses data collected by the app.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew spoke before Congress in January this year, defending the platform’s position. “We were not asked for any data by the Chinese government and we never provided it,” he testified.
However, despite the CEO’s assurances, many governments around the world remain unconvinced and have instituted their own bans and restrictions on TikTok.
Here are all the countries that have banned or partially banned the app:
Afghanistan
The Taliban government banned TikTok in April 2021saying that the app “misleads young people”.
Armenia
Armenia supposedly temporarily blocked TikTok for several days during border clashes with Azerbaijan in September 2022.
Australia
TikTok was banned from Australian government devices in April 2023, but is still allowed on devices owned by the general public.
Austria
Austria banned TikTok from all government employees’ devices in May 2023.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan temporarily blocked TikTok during border clashes with Armenia in September 2022. The app was blocked again a year later due to “anti-terrorism measures” according to local Armenian media. It has been restored again on October 1, 2023.
Bangladesh
In August 2021, a Bangladeshi court ordered the government will remove TikTok and several other apps from the country’s app store in order to “save children and teenagers from moral and social degradation.” The app was later allowed to returnas long as the moderation of its content was in accordance with the cultural sensitivities of Bangladesh.
Belgium
In March 2024, the Belgian government announced that it was banning the app from all government devices. “The security of our information must prevail,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. TikTok is still available on non-government affiliated devices.
Canada
Canada banned TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices in February 2023. “I suspect that as the government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones , many Canadians, from businesses to individuals, will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” said the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when the ban was announced.
China
China itself does not allow the international version of TikTok to be used on the continent. Instead, users must download Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok that is subject to censorship by the Chinese Communist Party.
Denmark
Danish Ministry of Defense banned the app from its employees’ work phones in March 2023. The country’s main public service broadcaster has also instituted special protocols that mean Journalists need special approval to use the app for reporting purposes following a notice from the Danish Cyber Security Center.
Estonia
TikTok was banned from state employee work phones in Estonia in March 2023.
European Union
The three main institutions that make up the EU – the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU – have banned TikTok from employees’ work phones. Employees are also advised to remove the app from your personal devices.
France
France has banned several social media appss from government employees’ phones, including Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, in March 2023.
India
India is one of the few countries that completely banned TikTok, including on citizens’ personal devices. The ban was implemented in July 2020 after a border clash between China and India left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The two countries have lived for centuries along their border, which occasionally turns violent. In the aftermath of the 2020 border conflict, some Indians called for a boycott of Chinese products, and India’s information technology ministry released a statement alleging that certain mobile applications were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data.” After the ban, many creators have migrated to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
Indonesia
Indonesia banned TikTok Shopa part of the app that allows creators to sell products to their audience, in October 2023, for violating the country’s e-commerce laws.
Will
The Islamic Republic bans TikTok along with other internationally popular social media platforms including X and Facebook.
Ireland
TikTok was banned from government devices in Ireland in April 2023.
Jordan
TikTok was banned in the Kingdom of Jordan since December 2022after a police officer was killed during a protest and videos of the event flooded social media.
Kyrgyzstan
The small ex-Soviet country banned Tiktok in August 2023arguing that the app was harmful to children’s development.
Latvia
The application is banned on business phones in the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2023.
Malta
Tiktok is blocked on government-issued cell phones along with all other non-governmental applications in Malta.
The Netherlands
The Dutch government banned the app from employees’ work phones in March 2023. Relations between Amsterdam and Beijing soured last year after a Dutch intelligence agency called China “the biggest threat to Dutch economic security.” by Bloomberg.
Nepal
Nepal banned TikTok for all its citizens in November 2023, saying the app was “harmful to social harmony.”
New Zealand
Lawmakers and parliamentary staff in New Zealand have been banned from having TikTok on their work phones from March 2024. However, exceptions can be made if a lawmaker believes TikTok is necessary for their democratic duties, according to AP. The ban does not apply to employees of other branches of government.
North Korea
North Korea restricts the majority of its citizens from accessing the Internet. Some websites and applications are allowed for the privileged elite to visit, but TikTok is not among them.
Norway
The Norwegian parliament banned TikTok from employees’ work devices in March 2023. Municipal employees in the cities of Oslo and Bergen were also encouraged to remove the app from their devices. “Norwegian intelligence services highlight Russia and China as the main risk factors for Norway’s security interests,” Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement. by EuroNews.
Pakistan
Pakistan has temporarily banned TikTok at least four times. However, the application was restored in November 2021and has reportedly been available in the country ever since.
Russia
Currently, Russians are restricted in terms of what they can view on TikTok, and viewers only primarily see videos made by Russian creators. This month, it was reported that the Russian government intends to ban TikTok in order to encourage citizens to use national social media platforms.
Senegal
Senegal established a total ban on the app in August, after an opposition candidate was accused of using the platform to spread “hateful and subversive messages”. The government of Senegal has refused to reinstate enforcement unless a mechanism is developed that allows the government to remove specific accounts.
Somalia
In August 2023, the Somali government announced that it was banning TikTok, Telegram and the online betting site 1XBet. Communications Minister Jama Hassan Khalif said the apps were used for dangerous propaganda. “The Minister of Communications orders Internet companies to stop the aforementioned applications, which terrorists and immoral groups use to constantly spread horrific images and disinformation to the public,” the minister said in a statement, by Reuters.
Taiwan
Taiwan banned all government devices from using software made in Chinaincluding TikTok, in December 2022, following a warning from the FBI.
UK
In March 2023, the United Kingdom banned all public servants from using TikTok on government-issued mobile devices. “Given the specific risk surrounding government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain applications, especially when it comes to applications where a large amount of data may be stored and accessed,” Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden told parliament.
U.S
Congress and the military have banned TikTok from all their employees’ devices. Approximately half of all states ban the app on state-owned devicesand the federal government also banned the app from employee devices in March 2023.
Uzbekistan
TikTok was unavailable in Uzbekistan since July 2021, after authorities said the app did not comply with the country’s personal data protection laws.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
