Montana was the first U.S. state to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices. The bill went into effect in January 2024 and will fine app stores that host TikTok within state lines $10,000 per day.
TikTok has been banned for a number of different reasons. Due to worries about pornography, several nations, like Indonesia and Bangladesh, have prohibited it. Other nations, like Armenia and Azerbaijan, have imposed limitations to prevent the dissemination of material that could cause conflict.
TikTok has been banned on government devices in various countries out of a concern the app's owner, China-based ByteDance, is sharing users' private data with the Chinese government, raising concerns about how much longer many people around the globe will be able to access the app.
In February 2023, the European Commission and European Council banned TikTok from official devices. French President Emmanuel Macron has called the app "deceptively innocent" and reportedly spoke of his desire to regulate the app, when visiting the United States in November 2022.
TikTok is also blocked in Iran and North Korea, but both these countries have highly censored internet, so it is not necessarily a TikTok-specific ban. Which countries have banned partially banned TikTok? The US voted to ban TikTok from federal government…
Fact: TikTok's parent company ByteDance Ltd. was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, but today, roughly sixty percent of the company is beneficially owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group.
TikTok is fighting to stay alive in the United States as pressure builds in Washington to ban the app if its Chinese owners don't sell the company. But the wildly popular platform, developed with homegrown Chinese technology, isn't accessible in China. In fact, it's never existed there.
These bans have generally been justified with national security concerns, due to TikTok's ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance. As of June 2023, the app has been banned for use by federal employees and banned for use by state employees in 34 (out of 50) states.
It was also available in Hong Kong until TikTok pulled out of the market in 2020 following the imposition of a sweeping national security law. Anyone who tries to open TikTok from within Hong Kong will see a message that reads "We regret to inform you that we have discontinued operating TikTok in Hong Kong".
TikTok is being banned in 2023 due to allegations against its China-based parent company, ByteDance, which tracks user data (like location) inside of the app. This has led to the ban of TikTok on government-issued devices within many different US states.
Zhang Yiming is the main founder of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, best known for its insanely popular app TikTok, which has more than 1 billion users worldwide. Zhang stepped down as chairman of ByteDance in November 2021 after resigning as CEO in May that year, reportedly under pressure from the Chinese government.
Over 150 Americans use TikTok. Is TikTok safe? It's as safe as just about any other social media platform. It doesn't infect your phone with malware, but it comes with some safety risks like scams and saved user data.
China. YouTube was first blocked in China for over five months from October 16, 2007 to March 22, 2008. It was blocked again from March 24, 2009, although a Foreign Ministry spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny whether YouTube had been blocked. Since then, YouTube has been inaccessible from mainland China.
Hey, have you heard of TikTok? It's huge in Korea! People love creating and sharing short videos on the app, and it's especially popular among younger generations. You'll find a ton of content on fashion, makeup, and dance, and it's also a great platform for K-pop artists to connect with their fans.
Despite China's discriminatory tariffs on wine and barley and its informal and WTO-illegal bans on coal, beef, lobster, cotton, wood, nickel and copper concentrates, its total purchases from Australia still rose by 16.6% over the three years from 2019, before the campaign started, and 2022.
It's possible to access the Netflix website in China, but there will be no library of content for you to view. Netflix is available in more than 200 countries. However, the Chinese market is extremely difficult to crack, mainly due to strict regulations imposed by the government.
The Bible is printed in China but legally available only at church bookstores approved by Beijing. Roughly two years ago, the Chinese government banned online Bible sales. Audio Bible players, nevertheless, have become popular with people of faith in China because of their ease of use.
Data-driven algorithm and intrusive tracking
Scroll through its feed long enough and you'll be bombarded with content carefully chosen for you. That's because TikTok uses a sophisticated algorithm to gather a vast amount of users' data, both inside and outside the app, to build an accurate profile.
The social media platform allows its users to both create and watch short video content, that is primarily 15 seconds in length. People crave micro-entertainment and short bursts of video distraction, this is one of the main reasons for the app's popularity. Content is short, fun and on-trend.
TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create, watch, and share 15-second videos shot on mobile devices or webcams. With its personalized feeds of quirky short videos set to music and sound effects, the app is notable for its addictive quality and high levels of engagement.
Russia continues to block major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. If you don't have a VPN subscription already, you'll find yourself being cut off from the global internet, so you're only able to access a “splinternet” version that's native to Russia and is heavily censored.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and is available in more than 150 countries. It remains a popular platform for content creators and audiences alike and continues to grow in popularity and audience reach.
The Indian government banned TikTok in June 2020, along with several other Chinese apps, over national security concerns.