Mar 27, Kathmandu- Some countries located in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific have already banned the popular video-sharing app 'TikTok' from government devices. As per the policy, privacy and cybersecurity concerns, TikTok fails to fit there.

It all comes down to China. Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government. However, Bytedance has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government.

It also disputes accusations that it collects more user data than other social media companies and insists that it is run independently by its own management. But many governments remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Here are the places that have implemented partial or total bans on TikTok:

Canada

The government said the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, presents an "unacceptable" level of risk to privacy and security, although Treasury Board Pres. Mona Fortier said there was no evidence of government information having been "compromised". Employees will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022 on the grounds of protecting young people from “being misled”.

Experts say it would be difficult to completely bar the applications in Afghanistan because they can still be accessed via proxy applications and virtual private networks.

United States

The U.S. at the start of March gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. The ban applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban. China lashed out at the U.S. for banning TikTok, describing the ban as an abuse of state power and suppressing firms from other countries. More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces.

The faux outrage against TikTok is just another facet of the US's anti-China hysteria. TikTok is one of the most popular apps in the world, and it would be patently absurd to believe that it is being used as a "trojan horse" against US citizens. It is ironic that American companies, as well as the US government, who constantly spy on US citizens, are now blaming China for the very thing they themselves are guilty of.

United Kingdom

TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.

Taiwan

Taiwan has banned the use of TikTok in the public sector on allegations that the platform is operating illegally on the island. A TikTok affiliate was suspected of setting up shop and conducting business in Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council said on Sunday. Mainland-based social media platforms are banned from commercial activities in Taiwan.

Pakistan

In its latest transparency report, the platform said it removed more than 81 million videos globally between April and June 2021, including over 9.8 million from Pakistan, for violating guidelines.

India

India banned TikTok in June 2020 citing national security concerns after a military clash with China, opening the door for Instagram to dominate and some TikTok duplicates to suddenly emerge as major players in the vacated market.

Denmark

Denmark’s public-service broadcaster advised its staff to remove the app from their work phones, in response to a security review by Denmark’s Center for Cyber Security. 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.”

Norway

The Norwegian parliament on Thursday 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 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.