Countries where TikTok is already banned or partially banned as US threatens to block app

A TikTok content creator, speaks to reporters outside the US Capitol this week

TikTok finds itself in the sights of authorities in the US, with new legislation threatening a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells it off.

This could be the most significant setback for the widely-used video-sharing app, which has already faced various restrictions globally. Already banned in several countries and barred from government-issued devices in others, TikTok is grappling with concerns over privacy and cybersecurity.

These concerns are echoed in the US bill, born out of long-standing bipartisan unease in Washington over the potential for China’s government to compel ByteDance to surrender US user data or manipulate Americans by censoring or pushing certain content. Despite these fears, TikTok insists it does not share data with the Chinese government, and its chief executive has taken a combative approach, promising to fight any such ban.

Here are the places that have partial or total bans on TikTok:

AFGHANISTAN

Since 2022, TikTok, along with the videogame PUBG, has been prohibited by the country’s Taliban rulers who aim to shield the youth from “being misled.”

AUSTRALIA

The Australian government has forbidden TikTok on its devices. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus made this call following recommendations from national intelligence and security agencies.

BELGIUM

The National Security Council decided last month to indefinitely ban TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the government. The ban was issued on a temporary basis last year on worries about cybersecurity, privacy, and misinformation. Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said it was based on warnings from the country’s state security service and cybersecurity center.

CANADA

Devices issued by the government are forbidden from using TikTok. Officials cited an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security and said the app would be removed from devices and employees blocked from downloading it.

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, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

FRANCE

“Recreational” use of TikTok and other social media apps like Twitter and Instagram on government employee’s phones has been outlawed due to concerns about insufficient data security measures. The French government didn’t pinpoint specific apps but noted the ruling came after other administrations took actions against TikTok.

INDIA

India enacted a nationwide ban on TikTok along with dozens of other Chinese apps including messaging app WeChat in 2020, citing privacy and security issues. This move was sparked shortly after a disputed Himalayan border clash between the Indian and Chinese troops which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and injured many others. Although the involved companies were given an opportunity to answer questions on privacy and security requirements, the ban was made permanent in 2021.

INDONESIA

In Indonesia, the vast, populous Southeast Asian nation, TikTok is not completely banned, only its online retail function. This action was taken by the authorities as they instituted a clampdown on e-commerce transactions conducted on social media platforms aiming to safeguard small businesses.

LATVIA

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced via a tweet that he had deleted his TikTok account, also stating that the app is banned from official foreign ministry smartphones.

NETHERLANDS

The Dutch central government has banned apps including TikTok from employee work phones due to data security concerns. Although the government statement didn’t specifically name TikTok, it discouraged civil servants from having apps “from countries with an offensive cyber program against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices.”

NEPAL

In Nepal, a nationwide ban on TikTok has been imposed, citing disruptions to “social harmony” and goodwill, and blaming the app for a “flow of indecent materials.” The telecom company was ordered to block access to the app.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand lawmakers and Parliament staff are prohibited from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice from government cybersecurity experts. The app was 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

In Norway, the parliament has banned TikTok on work devices after the country’s Justice Ministry warned that 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. Oslo, the country’s capital, and Bergen, its second largest city, also urged municipal employees to remove TikTok from their work phones.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since 2020, citing concerns that the app promotes immoral content.

SOMALIA

The government ordered telecom companies to block access to TikTok, along with messaging app Telegram and gambling platform 1XBET. Officials said they were concerned that the platforms could spread extremist content, nude images and other material seen as offensive to Somali culture and Islam.

TAIWAN

Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that the app posed a national security risk. Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which includes apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.

UNITED KINGDOM

British authorities banned TikTok from mobile phones used by government ministers and civil servants. Officials said the ban was a “precautionary move” on security grounds and doesn’t apply to personal devices. The British Parliament followed up by banning TikTok from all official devices and the “wider parliamentary network.” The Scottish government and London City Hall also banned TikTok from staff devices.

UNITED STATES

US authorities have instructed government agencies to remove TikTok from federal devices and systems due to data security worries. Over half of the 50 U.S. states have also prohibited the app on official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces. However, attempts to implement a state-wide ban in Montana fell through, as did a proposal in Virginia to prevent children from using it.