The list of countries banning TikTok has been growing, with Australia latest to join the list. With this, Australia has joined other Western countries in banning the use of TikTok on government devices as the Chinese-owned video app comes under increasing pressure over security concerns. A notice issued by the Attorney General’s Department said that TikTok poses security and privacy risks due to the “extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law.”
On its part, TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company Bytedance, has long maintained that it doesn’t share data with the Chinese government. However, many governments across the world remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Here are the countries that have announced partial or complete bans on TikTok:
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022 on the grounds of protecting young people from “being misled.”
Australia
TikTok has been banned on government devices by the Australian government. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said that he made the decision after getting advice from the country’s intelligence and security agencies.
Belgium
Last month, Belgium banned TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the federal government, citing worries about cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the decision is based on warning from national security council about risks associated with the large amounts of data collected by TikTok, and the fact that the company is required to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.
Canada
Canada announced government-issued devices must not use TikTok, saying that it presents an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security. Employees have also been reportedly told not to download the app in the future.
Denmark
Denmark’s Defense Ministry banned its employees from having TikTok on their work phones. The government ordered employees to remove the app from their work devices. The ministry said that 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 employees have been 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 employees’ phones was banned recently. Reasons include concerns about insufficient data security measures. The French government’s statement didn’t name specific apps but said that the decision came after other governments took measures targeting TikTok.
India
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and almost 100 other Chinese apps in June 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The companies were given six months to respond to questions on privacy and security requirements, post that the ban was made permanent in January 2021. The ministry of electronics and information technology’s (Meity) order stated that the apps were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
Latvia
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also announced a ban on TikTok on work devices. Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted that he deleted his TikTok account and that the app is also prohibited from using this app in smart devices where ministry e-mails are installed.
Netherlands
The Dutch central government banned apps including TikTok from employee work phones citing data security concerns. A government statement did not name TikTok specifically but said that civil servants are discouraged 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.”
New Zealand
New Zealand too has banned employees at the nation’s Parliament from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice from government cybersecurity experts. The app has been removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network.
Norway
The Norwegian parliament banned Tiktok on work devices, after the country’s Justice Ministry warned the app shouldn’t be installed on phones issued to government employees. The country’s capital Oslo and second largest city Bergen also urged municipal employees to remove TikTok from their work phones.
Taiwan
In December 2022, Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that TikTok posed a national security risk. Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which include apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.
United Kingdom (UK)
In March, the UK government banned TikTok from mobile phones used by government ministers and civil servants. Officials said that 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.”
United States (US)
The US has banned TikTok from federal government devices and systems over data security concerns. The ban applies only to government devices so far, however, some US lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.