The TikTok ban is rapidly approaching in the United States, with a ruling expected from the Supreme Court at any moment. Without investors willing to buy the app onboard, the ban slated for Sunday, January 19, will see new users blocked from downloading the app marking the end of an era for the video-sharing platform.
The ban was triggered by the US government’s concern over the app’s operations, alleging that China could gather data on Americans or manipulate the content on TikTok to shape U.S. users’ opinions. Other reasons include threatening national security and access to inappropriate content.
Should the TikTok ban take effect, America will join a list of nations that have either partially or completely banned the app, citing reasons ranging from infringement of data privacy to moral degradation.
Here are the countries that have banned the app:
Afghanistan
After the Taliban assumed power, TikTok was banned in April 2022, with the claim that the application was “misleading youths.”
Australia
The Australian banned TikTok from government devices in April 2023, but is still allowed on devices belonging to the general public.
Austria
Austria banned TikTok from all government employee devices in May 2023.
Belgium
In March 2024, the Belgian government announced that it was banning the app from all government devices citing the need to uphoald the safety of the country’s information. TikTok is however available on the citizens’ devices.
Canada
In February 2023, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that TikTok was banned from all government-issued mobile devices, urging citizens from the business and private sector to reflect on the security of their own data and make informed choices.
China
The international version of TikTok is banned on mainland China and instead, users are required to download Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok which is censored by Chinese Communist Party.
Denmark
Denmark’s Ministry of Defense banned Tiktok from its employees’ work phones in March 2023. The country’s main public service broadcaster also instituted special protocols to provide special approval for journalists to allow use for only reporting purposes.
Estonia
TikTok was banned from the work phones of state officials in Estonia in March 2023.
India
India completely banned TikTok in 2020, following the aftermath of a border clash between China and India that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.The escalating tensions between the two countries saw India boycott Chinese goods, including certain mobile applications with the claim that they were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data.”
Iran
The Islamic Republic has fully banned the use of TikTok along with other internationally social media platforms including X and Facebook.
Ireland
TikTok was banned from government devices in Ireland in April 2023.
Jordan
TikTok has been banned in the Kingdom of Jordan since December 2022, after a police officer was killed during a protest with videos of the event shared on the app.
Kyrgyzstan
The country banned Tiktok in August 2023, with the reason for the ban being that the application was posing harm to the development of children.
Latvia
Since March 2023, the app is prohibited on work phones within Latvia’s Foreign Ministry.
Malta
In Malta Tiktok is blocked from government-provided cell phones along with all other non-government applications in Malta.
The Netherlands
The Dutch government banned the app from employees’ work phones in March 2023 following strained relations between the Netherlands and China.
Nepal
Nepal completely banned TikTok for all its citizens in November 2023, citing it as a threat to social harmony.
North Korea
North Korea restricts most of its citizens from accessing the internet. While a few websites and apps are permitted for the privileged elite to visit, TikTok is not one of them.
Senegal
In August 2024, Senegal imposed a total ban of the application after an opposition candidate was accused of using the platform to disseminate “hateful and subversive messages.”
Somalia
In August 2023, the Somali government announced that it was banning TikTok, Telegram, and the online betting website 1XBet, as according to Minister of Communications Jama Hassan Khalif, the apps were used for dangerous propaganda.
Taiwan
Taiwan received a warning from the FBI leading to a ban on all government devices from using Chinese-made software, including TikTok, in December 2022.
United Kingdom
In March 2023, the U.K. announced that all government employees were banned from using TikTok on government provided mobile devices in March 2023.
Uzbekistan
TikTok has been banned in Uzbekistan since July 2021, after it was announced that the app was not compliant with the country’s personal data protection laws.
