Recently, the opposition to TikTok, which is controlled by China, has grown in the United States and other Western nations. TikTok was prohibited in Canada on mobile devices provided by the government, after a similar prohibition in the European Union. Although popular among young people, the app has also come under fire for potential privacy abuses and ties to the Chinese government.
Government officials in the U.S.A are also paying closer attention to TikTok, a company with more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S., because of concern that user data may end up in the hands of the Chinese government, which might then use the app as a weapon to spread misinformation. However, it has become a serious political debate since some experts and civil rights campaigners believe that the battle to outlaw TikTok runs the risk of placing excessive restrictions on free expression and private enterprise, emulating the kind of censorship that several Western nations have criticized China for.
Distrust over ByteDance
Social networking apps routinely collect data, but people are curious about where it goes and who gets access to it. In order to improve the algorithm for the app’s main feed, TikTok gathers data on how you use its content, including the device you’re using, how long you spend watching a post for, and what categories you enjoy. Feeling that this data is not reaching safe hands, government authorities have grown more concerned that TikTok and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, may provide the Chinese government access to users’ private data and their location. They have cited legal provisions that permit the Chinese government to discreetly request information from Chinese businesses and individuals for intelligence collection purposes. They are also concerned that China might spread false information using TikTok’s content suggestions and advertisements.
Countries that have already banned TikTok
INDIA: In June 2020, India banned TikTok and around 60 other Chinese developers’ apps from all devices for the protection of the security of the nation. Prior to the suspension, TikTok considered India to be its largest international market in terms of users, with over 200 million monthly active users. India is self-reliant in the entertainment field as well. Within a year of TikTok being blocked in India, local short-video apps like MX Takatak, Moj, Roposo, and Josh had around 98% of the user base that the Chinese app once dominated.
AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban contend that TikTok and the video game PUBG are sending Afghan teenagers “astray,” thus Afghanistan is in discussions to outlaw both.
TAIWAN: Taiwan banned TikTok and a few other Chinese applications from state-owned smartphones and opened an investigation into the social media app in December 2022 due to possible criminal activity on the island.
MYANMAR: After the country’s military took control in February, soldiers in Myanmar have uploaded hundreds of videos on TikTok. The content being posted included everything from pro-government propaganda to false information intended to mislead people and threats from the armed military. Hence, the app was banned by the government.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan has at a minimum four times banned TikTok, with the most recent ban lasting until November 2022 and lasting four months. The reason? According to the authorities, the app contains immoral and lewd content.
With more than one billion users globally, TikTok continues to be among the most widely used social media applications in the world despite the prohibitions.
