Countries Where TikTok Is Outlawed
Recently, United States President Joe Biden signed a bill that could potentially result in the total ban of TikTok in the US if its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year.
US lawmakers are concerned about the potential national security risks associated with the app, particularly if the Chinese government were to gain access to the data it collects.
The US House of Representatives voted 360 to 58 on the updated divest-or-ban bill that could lead to the first time ever that the US government has passed a law to shut down an entire social media platform.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week and Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation.
“This bill protects Americans and especially America’s children from the malign influence of Chinese propaganda on the app TikTok. This app is a spy balloon in Americans’ phones,” said Texas Republican representative Michael McCaul, author of the bill, Bloomberg reports.
Many countries have taken action to limit or ban TikTok, citing worries about privacy, security, or ethical issues.
Different approaches have been taken by various countries, with some implementing comprehensive restrictions and others focusing on particular features of the app or a partial ban on government devices.
Here is a list of countries that have implemented various forms of restrictions:
Countries with a complete ban
China
TikTok’s international version is not accessible within China. Instead, users are required to download Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, which is subject to strict content control by the Chinese Communist Party.
Senegal
Senegal implemented a complete ban on the application following allegations that an opposition candidate had utilised the platform to disseminate “hateful and subversive messages.” The Senegalese government has declined to restore the app until a system is created that enables them to delete individual accounts.
Somalia
The Somali government officially outlawed TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet, an online betting platform, in August 2023.
North Korea
Access to the internet is heavily restricted for the majority of North Korean citizens. While a select few websites and apps are allowed for the privileged elite, TikTok is not included in this list.
Afghanistan
In April 2022, the Taliban government decided to ban TikTok, citing concerns about its influence on young people.
India
India banned TikTok in 2020, including on personal devices, following a border clash between China and India in 2020. The ban was prompted by concerns about data theft and the government’s claim that certain apps were stealing. Many creators migrated to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
Iran
TikTok, along with other globally popular social media platforms like X and Facebook, has been banned by the Islamic Republic.
Uzbekistan
Since July 2021, TikTok has been inaccessible in Uzbekistan due to the authorities’ claim that the app does not adhere to the country’s personal data protection laws.
Countries with a partial ban on TikTok
Indonesia
In October 2023, Indonesia took action against TikTok Shop, a feature of the app that enables creators to sell products to their followers, due to its violation of the country’s e-commerce laws.
Kyrgyzstan
In August 2023, the small country, which was once part of the Soviet Union, decided to ban TikTok. The government justified this action by stating that the application harmed the growth and well-being of children.
Russia
There are limitations on the content that Russians can access on TikTok, resulting in a primary focus on videos created by Russian users. Recent reports indicate that the Russian government is planning to prohibit the use of TikTok, to promote the adoption of local social media platforms among its citizens.
Countries with bans on government-owned devices
Australia
In April 2023, the Australian government decided to ban TikTok on their devices. However, it remains accessible on devices owned by the general public.
Austria
In May 2023, TikTok was banned on all devices used by government employees in Austria.
Canada
On February 28, Canada banned the use of TikTok on all devices provided by the government because of concerns regarding privacy and security.
Denmark
In March 2023, Denmark’s Ministry of Defence decided to ban the use of the app on its employees’ work phones. Additionally, the country’s main public service broadcaster implemented specific protocols, requiring journalists to obtain special approval before using the app for reporting purposes. This action was taken in response to a warning from Denmark’s Centre for Cybersecurity.
Estonia
In March 2023, the use of TikTok on the work phones of state officials in Estonia was banned.
European Union
Employees of the European Parliament, European Commission, and E.U. Council are no longer allowed to have TikTok on their work phones, as the three main institutions of the E.U. implemented a ban.
France
In March of 2023, France banned the use of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok on government employees’ mobile devices.
United Kingdom
In March 2023, the U.K. banned all government employees from using TikTok on government-provided mobile devices.
United States
The US military and US Congress have both taken action to block access to TikTok on all of their personnel’s devices.
Nearly half of the states have outright banned the app on state-owned devices, and in March 2023, the federal government followed suit.
Ireland
In April 2023, the Irish government implemented a ban on TikTok for use on government devices.
Belgium
The Belgian government announced in March 2024 the ban of the app on all government devices. TikTok remains accessible on devices not associated with government entities.
Taiwan
In December 2022, Taiwan implemented a ban on the usage of Chinese-made software, including TikTok, on all government devices. This decision came after a warning from the FBI.
Latvia
The Latvian Foreign Ministry banned the app from official company phones in March 2023.
Malta
In Malta, government-provided cell phones have restricted access to TikTok and other non-government applications.
Nigerian government’s take on the use of the app
The Nigerian government, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, urged TikTok to entrench transparency, laws, and regulations in social media usage to ensure a safer digital space, devoid of illegalities and promoters of fake news.
According to the then Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, data economy has opened up new areas of concerns that include security, fake news, privacy issues, tax payment, direct contact with TikTok and “general content hygiene.”
“There is a need for you to be more transparent on what you do with the data, experience you take and your algorithm design; because most algorithms are designed to promote hate speech,” said the minister while playing host to a delegation of video-focused social networking service, TikTok, in his office.
“Technology can be used as a weapon or a tool”, said the minister who was represented by the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa.
Pantami emphasised the fact that there should be consequences for anyone who uses social media to commit a crime and maintained that anything that is illegal offline should also be illegal online.
“In Nigeria, people are using TikTok for so many things; some use it tto promote rituals and domestic violence while others use it for hate speech; So, we cannot continue to have people put out random contents without appropriate checks/verifications”.
The minister who recalled the issues that ensued between the federal government and Twitter which led to the suspension of the platform’s operations in Nigeria said the microblogging and social networking service had to agree and meet certain conditions upon which its ban was lifted.
The conditions, he explained, are to be extended to other social media platforms, including TikTok.
“We are working on drafting “Code of Practice”, which we are going to share with you soon; get your feedback and see how we can make it better.”
