People calling for the banning of TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app, attend a news conference at the Capitol in Washington. — AP
LONDON: A growing number of countries in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific have banned the popular video-sharing app TikTok from government devices as privacy and cybersecurity concerns increase. A handful have prohibited the app altogether.
The company's CEO faced a grilling Thursday from US lawmakers. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government.
The company points to a project its carrying out to store US user data in the US, which it says will put it out China's reach. It also disputes accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.
But many governments remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Here are the places that have implemented partial or total bans on TikTok:
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022 on the grounds of protecting young people from "being misled.”
Belgium
Belgium temporarily banned TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the federal government, citing worries about cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation. Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the six-month ban was based on warnings from the state security service and its cybersecurity centre.
Canada
Canada announced government-issued devices must not use TikTok, saying that it presents an "unacceptable” risk to privacy and security. Employees will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future.
Denmark
Denmark’s Defense Ministry banned its employees from having TikTok on their work phones, ordering staffers who have installed it to remove the app from devices as soon as possible. The ministry said the reasons for the ban included both "weighty security considerations” as well as "very limited work-related need to use the app.”
European Union
The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bloc’s three main institutions, have imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliament’s ban, which took effect Monday, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.
India
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.
The companies were given a chance to respond to questions on privacy and security requirements but the ban was made permanent in January 2021.
New Zealand
Lawmakers in New Zealand and staff at the nation’s Parliament will be prohibited from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice from government cybersecurity experts. Under the ban, which takes effect at the end of March, the app will be removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials can make special arrangements for anybody who needs TikTok to perform their democratic duties.
Norway
The Norwegian parliament on Thursday banned Tiktok on work devices, after the country's Justice Ministry warned the app shouldn't be installed on phones issued to government employees. The Parliament's speaker said TikTok shouldn't be on devices that have access to the assembly’s systems and should be removed as quickly as possible. The country's capital Oslo and second largest city Bergen also urged municipal employees to remove TikTok from their work phones.
Pakistan
Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since October 2020, citing concerns that app promotes immoral content.
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, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which include apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.
United Kingdom
British authorities in mid-March banned TikTok from mobile phones used by government ministers and civil servants with immediate effect. Officials said the ban was a "precautionary move” on security grounds, and doesn't apply to personal devices. The British Parliament followed that up Thursday by announcing a ban on TikTok from all official devices and the "wider parliamentary network.” The semi-autonomous Scottish government also said Thursday it was banning TikTok from official devices, effective immediately.
United States
The US at the start of March gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. The ban applies only to government devices, though some US lawmakers are advocating an outright ban. China lashed out at the US for banning TikTok, describing the ban as an abuse of state power and suppressing firms from other countries. More than half of the 50 US states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the US armed forces. – AP
