TikTok Bans across the world

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A few days ago, Montana became the first US state to outright ban TikTok. The company has sued the state in return, calling the ban “unconstitutional”.

While the battle ensues in the courtroom, it is no secret that TikTok is under pressure.

In Today’s post, we look at the restrictions the company faces across the world.

TikTok’s growing problem

TikTok has seen enormous success over the last few years, becoming one of the most popular social media apps in the world, and spawning clones like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

However, TikTok - owned by Chinese Tech company ByteDance, has come under increased scrutiny over the last 2-3 years for its alleged ties to the Chinese government. It has been accused of spying and sharing user data at the behest of the Chinese govt.

Many governments across the world have resorted to completely banning the app or partially restricting its usage.

At present, TikTok is not available in 5 countries - India, China, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. In China, ByteDance operates a sister app instead, called Douyin.

Additionally, 31 other countries (mostly in the West) have restricted government employees from using TikTok on their devices - for worries of sensitive data leaking to Chinese govt.

US is TikTok’s biggest market. Its also where the company is facing the most challenges:

• Since 2020, the US federal government has been pressuring TikTok to sell its US operations to a US company

• In March this year, the TikTok CEO was summoned for a congressional hearing - and was grilled for over 5 hours.

• Since March this year, TikTok is banned from US federal govt issued devices

Montana State ban is the most recent setback to TikTok and possibly the most severe. It remains to be seen if it lasts - however, the company is unlikely to be out of troubled waters soon.

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