U.S. Moves To Impose Ban On TikTok; List Of Countries Where Video-Sharing App Is Banned
TikTok is banned in several countries across the world. Following a clash at the border, India banned TikTok and many other Chinese apps in 2020 over privacy and security concerns.
Amid global concerns over data safety, the United States is moving to impose a ban on video-sharing app TikTok.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that demands TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, Bytedance, to divest from the platform or face a ban. More than half of the 50 U.S. states have already banned TikTok from government devices, besides public universities that have banned the app on university Wi-Fi networks and devices. The company claims it has 170 million users in the U.S.
TikTok is banned in several countries across the world. Following a clash at the border, India banned TikTok and many other Chinese apps in 2020 over privacy and security concerns.
Three top European Union (EU) bodies including the European Commission, European Parliament and the EU Council have banned their staff from using TikTok on their corporate phones. NATO has also banned its staffers from downloading the app on NATO-issued devices.
Why Does The U.S. Want To Ban TikTok?
U.S. officials and lawmakers have long expressed fears that China could gain access to personal data of American users through TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The company has stressed it does not share data of U.S. users with the Chinese authorities, and pointed to its funding from international investors, the Washington Post reported. However, U.S. authorities remain skeptical.
It is an election year for the U.S., and this has compounded the anxieties of authorities. Director of Intelligence, Avril Haines, is reported to have told a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing this week that China could use the app to influence the 2024 U.S. elections.
Besides concerns over data leaks and national security, U.S. lawmakers have cited other reasons as well including addictiveness, children’s safety and mental health.
Countries Where TikTok Is Banned
Countries that have imposed a full ban on TikTok include India, Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Somalia.
Several other countries have partial bans in place.
U.K.: Banned on government devices
Canada: Banned on government-issued devices
France: Banned on phones of civil servants
New Zealand: Banned on devices of Parliament members and lawmakers
Norway: Banned on government work devices
Taiwan: Banned on government devices
Australia: Banned on devices issued by some individual government agencies
Belgium: Banned on federal government work devices
Denmark: Banned on government-issued devices