TikTok, the popular short-form video-sharing app, has experienced rapid growth in recent months. With its easily accessible platform and creative tools for users to create content, it has become a global phenomenon. However, due to its Chinese origin and potential security threats, TikTok has been banned in some countries.
India was the first country to ban TikTok in April of 2019. The Indian government cited concerns about the safety of its citizens’ data as the reason for the ban. This was followed by Pakistan, which blocked access to TikTok two months later due to “immoral and indecent” content being shared on the platform.
In June 2020, the United States announced that it would be banning downloads of TikTok from both Apple and Google’s app stores, citing security concerns over user data. This ban was followed by a similar one from Australia, which was implemented shortly after. Similarly, Canada blocked access to the app due to security issues related to user data.
In August of 2020, Turkey announced that it would be banning access to TikTok due to concerns over “inappropriate content” being shared on the platform. This decision was followed by a similar one from Indonesia, which also cited similar reasons for blocking access in September of that year.
The United Kingdom, meanwhile, did not ban TikTok but instead introduced regulations that restricted access for children under 13 years old due to concerns over inappropriate content being shared on the platform by users aged 13-17 years old.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, banned access to the app in October 2020 due to “illicit activities” taking place on the platform. This was followed by a similar decision from Japan, which also banned access citing security risks as well as issues related to inappropriate content being shared by minors on the platform.
Iran, meanwhile, is said to have implemented a partial ban on TikTok in November 2020 due to “immoral activities” taking place on the platform as well as security concerns related to user data being shared with Chinese companies who are associated with the app’s parent company ByteDance Ltd .
Conclusion: What Countries Is TikTok Banned In? TikTok is currently banned in India, Pakistan, The United States, Australia, Canada, Turkey, Indonesia Bangladesh Iran and Japan due to various reasons such as concerns over user data protection and inappropriate content being shared by minors on the platform.