9 Countries That Ban TikTok For National Security Reasons

Illustration of the TikTok application which is prohibited in various countries (photo: dock. Pixabay)

The YOGYAKARTA - TikTok has returned to the world's public discussion after the United States (US) government banned the use of this short video platform in its country. The rejection of this Chinese application is actually nothing new. There have been several countries that have banned TikTok.

TikTok's ban recently attracted public attention after the US government held a congressional hearing to bring in TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to clarify. The Joe Biden administration accuses TikTok of spying for China. However, Schw insists that TikTok guarantees the security of its users' data so as not to leak.

Apart from the US, a number of countries have also banned the use of TikTok. TikTok access bans are carried out citing concerns about privacy and information security. Although it is currently a popular app with one billion active users, the fact is TikTok is banned in some countries.

TikTok has long received strict supervision from Western countries. Several countries have finally implemented a ban on TikTok because it is considered a threat to national security. Here are a number of countries that prohibit TikTok.

The United States government has vehemently banned the use of TikTok in its country. This application from parent company ByteDance must be removed from all US government-owned devices. This policy was issued on February 28, 2023.

The US government's goal of banning TikTok is to protect the confidentiality of its users' data and the security of its country from threats of infiltration or spying through digital systems. Although it has only been implemented at the federal level, US lawmakers have also intensified the ban on its people.

Another country that opposes the use of the TikTok application is England. Oliver Dowden, Secretary of the UK Cabinet, has issued a ban on using TikTok on official government devices.

The rejection of this Chinese application is based on a report by the UK National Cybersecurity Center. Britain's national security forces found the potential risk of government data security being accessible and used by certain platforms.

The Canadian government follows the US ban on TikTok. Canada announced it should not use the TikTok application on devices issued by its government. Canada is concerned about the privacy and security risks of its citizens and country.

India also opposes the use of TikTok social media. The country with the second most population in the world has even banned the use of TikTok since 2020. Previously, India became the country with the highest number of TikTok users, namely around 200 million users.

The ban on TikTok in India was carried out because the application was claimed to be able to legally steal and send user data. As an effort to maintain national security, TikTok has even banned 59 applications, one of which is WeChat.

The country, led by the Taliban group, has also banned TikTok. The decision to ban the use of TikTok has been carried out since April 2021. The Taliban government considers that the TikTok application could have a negative impact on the younger generation in Afghanistan. In addition, another reason is because TikTok is considered not in accordance with the applicable Islamic law.

Another Middle Eastern country that prohibits the TikTok app is Iran. Everyone living in Iran is prohibited from accessing the TikTok app. The Iranian government considers the app to be against the laws in force in its country.

Iran has indeed implemented strict rules regarding the use of social media. Previously, this country had banned the use of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram.

Taiwan as a country adjacent to China also banned the use of TikTok. The Taiwanese government has banned access to TikTok at the federal level since December 2022. Taiwan opposes the app because it suspects the Chinese government is running a cognitive war on Taiwan.

New Zealand also just announced a ban on TikTok access on March 17. TikTok's ban is implemented at the government parliamentary level, but is not enforced for all government employees. In addition, officials can make special rules if they need TikTok for the benefit of carrying out democratic tasks.

The Danish Ministry of Defense announced the ban on TikTok on March 6. The ban on the use of TikTok will be carried out as a cybersecurity measure. The country's Cybersecurity Center assesses TikTok as allowing risk of espionage.

Those are the reviews of a number of countries that prohibit TikTok. The emergence of bans from various countries is a challenge for TikTok to expand its users. TikTok CEO himself continues to ensure that the short video application guarantees the security of its users' data and is not affiliated with any government.

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