Growing concerns have surfaced in Western countries, particularly in the United States, about the potential influence of the Chinese-owned app TikTok on users and its transmission of personal data to Beijing. These allegations have been firmly denied by both China and ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.
Recent legislation has been introduced that would empower the White House to restrict or prohibit TikTok and other foreign technologies if they are deemed a national security threat—a move supported by the White House. However, congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among some Democratic lawmakers, opposes a ban, labeling it "unprecedented."
Which countries have banned TikTok?
While the United States, Canada, Britain, and certain EU institutions have limited TikTok's use on government devices, other nations have taken more stringent measures.
In 2020, India banned TikTok, and Pakistan has temporarily banned the app four times, with the most recent ban lifted in November of the previous year. Taiwan, which restricts various Chinese business activities on its soil, has prohibited the use of TikTok on state-owned devices.
Chris Stokel-Walker, a British journalist and author of "TikTok Boom," notes that the reason for TikTok bans on official devices in different countries is due to concerns over how China handles Western users' data, though no concrete evidence has yet been presented.
A spokesperson for TikTok asserts a shared goal with concerned governments to safeguard user privacy but argues that these bans are misdirected and do not enhance privacy or security in any way.
TikTok bans have not been enforced in other countries that maintain strong security ties with the United States. For instance, despite being part of the "Five Eyes" security alliance, Australia has not received advice from its security agencies to ban TikTok. Similarly, Britain, another member of the alliance, has not heeded calls from policymakers to ban the app.
What does this mean for TikTok users?
Tech experts suggest that a ban on TikTok for regular citizens in the U.S. is unlikely to occur due to potential infringement on First Amendment rights protecting free speech.
Evan Greer, the director of the technology-focused nonprofit organization Fight for the Future, argues that such a measure would amount to censorship. She notes that U.S. policymakers may be adopting an approach similar to that of the Chinese government in an effort to appear tough on China. Greer expresses concern that banning a widely-used app, particularly among young people, the LGBTQ community, and people of color, would amount to traditional state-sponsored internet censorship.