Which countries have banned TikTok as New Zealand bans on some phones?
With perspective A total ban on TikTok is possible in the UK, New Zealand is the latest country to ban the video-sharing app on government phones.
The popular app is under scrutiny for its ties to China, with the US, home to 100 million Tiktok users, now demanding that its Chinese owners sell their shares or face an outright ban.
China and TikTok insist there are no security threats. But some other countries are concerned that TikTok user data could be transferred into the country or used to promote pro-Beijing views.
The application is used by a billion people around the world.
President Biden’s threat followed an attempt by Donald Trump to ban the app back in 2020, when the move was blocked by US courts.
So which countries have taken action to ban TikTok and who exactly is banned?
Here’s what you need to know.
Which countries have banned Tiktok?
New Zealand
New Zealand MPs were informed today (Friday 17 March) that Tiktok will be banned on all parliamentary devices as “the risks are unacceptable in New Zealand’s current parliamentary environment”.
The email to MPs said: “The decision to block the TikTok app was made based on our own analysis and after discussion with our counterparts in government and internationally.”
Some MPs regularly post on TikTok, including Act Party leader David Seymour, and they can still do so on their personal phones.
USA
US politicians in the House of Representatives were were ordered to remove TikTok from their work phones and banned from downloading it last December.
More than half of the US states have also banned the use of TikTok on government devices, and Democrats and Republicans joined forces to draft legislation that would give the White House the power to ban it across the country.
Great Britain
Yesterday (Thursday, March 16) the UK government immediately banned TikTok on all government devices.
All employees were ordered to “immediately” retire to the application.
This followed concerns that there could be risk associated with access to and use of sensitive government data by certain platforms.
Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden said: “As many colleagues know, social media applications collect and store vast amounts of user data.”
TikTok said it was “disappointed” with the move, which was based “on fundamental misconceptions and driven by broader geopolitics.”
European Union
Last month, the EU announced a ban on the use of TikTok on its employees’ work phones.
In the European Parliament, this comes into effect on Monday (March 20) and employees have been advised to completely remove the app from their work devices.
Some EU countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, have introduced similar staff bans.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders banned the app last year for “misleading the younger generation.”
India
India has imposed a temporary ban on every in the country on Tiktok back in 2020 — and it became permanent in January 2021.
The Indian government acted out of privacy and security concerns and also banned a number of other Chinese apps, including the WeChat messaging service.
Taiwan
Public sector workers in Taiwan are prohibited from using TikTok and other Chinese software.
Canada
Anyone who works for state and local governments in In Canada, it is illegal to use TikTok on official devices. The country acted quickly to bring it in after the US did.
Several countries have previously imposed temporary bans on TikTok, including Pakistan, Jordan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
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