Which Countries Have Banned TikTok?

TikTok is facing increasing restrictions and bans worldwide.

A ban has been looming in the US since last year, and a congressional hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made many headlines last year. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed a bill requiring TikTok parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a ban in the country.

Additionally, several countries in North America, Europe and Asia have imposed certain restrictions on the app, primarily due to privacy and cybersecurity concerns related to ByteDance, which has ties to the Chinese government. International government agencies, including the European Commission and NATO, have banned their employees from using TikTok on their company phones, as have federal governments in countries around the world.

Here are the countries that have partially or completely banned the app.

Afghanistan

According to Bloomberg, the Taliban banned TikTok in Afghanistan in April 2022, saying the platform’s content was “not in accordance with Islamic law.”

Australia

In April 2023, Australia banned the app from all federal government devices, citing Home Office security concerns. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said the ban would be imposed “as soon as possible.”

Belgium

Belgium banned TikTok from government officials’ work phones in March 2023. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a statement to Politico: “We cannot be naive: TikTok is a Chinese company that is currently obliged to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services.”

Canada

Like other countries, Canada also banned TikTok from all government mobile devices in February 2023. Treasury Department President Mona Fortier said the partial ban was because the app posed “an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

“The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is taken as a precautionary measure, particularly given concerns about the legal regime governing information collected from mobile devices, and is consistent with the approach of our international partners,” said she in a statement.

Denmark

The Danish Ministry of Defense banned employees from downloading TikTok to their work devices in March 2023. Employees were also asked to remove the app as soon as possible due to security considerations reviewed by the country’s Cybersecurity Center.

India

India took action against TikTok in 2020, imposing a nationwide ban on TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps because “[engaging] in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, the security of the state and public order.” The government imposed the ban after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese forces. India is the largest country to impose a blanket ban on the app.

Nepal

In November 2023, Nepal banned TikTok for disturbing “social harmony.” The BBC reported that the ban would take effect immediately, according to Communications and Information Technology Minister Rekha Sharma, who said the app was spreading harmful content. TikTok is widely used in the country, particularly among younger and female social media users.

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The Netherlands

Although not an outright ban, Dutch officials have been told not to use TikTok since January 2023. The recommendation is in line with several other government bodies but is less monitored in the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the Ministry of General Affairs told Politico.

New Zealand

After several European countries made similar decisions, the New Zealand Parliament announced a ban on TikTok on all personal devices in March 2023.

“This decision was made based on the analysis of our own experts and after discussions with our colleagues in the government and at the international level,” said the government statement from Parliamentary Service Director Rafael Gonzalez-Montero. “Based on this information, the service has determined that the risks are unacceptable in the current New Zealand parliamentary environment.”

Norway

The Norwegian Parliament banned TikTok on government devices in March 2023, but allowed officials to use the app on their personal devices for professional reasons. The country’s justice minister, Emilie Enger Mehl, said in a statement: “Norwegian intelligence services see Russia and China as key risk factors for Norway’s security interests.” Mehl had already faced some criticism before the ban for having TikTok on her work phone.

Somalia

In August 2023, Somalia banned TikTok over concerns about terrorist content. The government said terror groups use platforms like TikTok and Telegram to spread “horrifying images and misinformation to the public.”

Taiwan

In December 2022, Taiwan banned the use of Chinese-made software, including TikTok, on government devices.

Great Britain

UK government ministers were banned from using TikTok on work phones and devices in March 2023 following reviews by the UK’s National Cyber ​​Security Center. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement that the government’s decision was “in line with similar restrictions introduced by key international partners,” citing the US and Canadian governments and the European Commission.

“Given the potentially sensitive nature of information stored on government devices, government policies on managing third-party applications are being tightened and a precautionary ban on TikTok on government devices is being implemented,” the statement said.

United States

In short, it’s complicated. The latest: On April 24, President Biden signed the bill that will ban TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance doesn’t divest from the app within the next year.

This is the result of efforts that made significant progress in 2024. On March 14, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok unless ByteDance divests itself of the app. The bill was passed again in April and then sent to the Senate.

In response, TikTok has lobbied to save itself on U.S. soil. Its CEO Shou Zi Chew hinted that the company could take legal action while lobbying TikTok developers and companies: “This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media outlets.” It will also give developers and small businesses cost billions of dollars. It will endanger more than 300,000 American jobs and take TikTok away from you.

After the president signed the bill, TikTok released a statement calling the decision “unconstitutional.”

The tweet may have been deleted

“We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep US data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation,” said a posted statement from @TikTokPolicy on X.

Federal authorities were previously asked to delete the app from employees’ phones in February 2023, with the White House having already banned TikTok on devices. In March 2023, Chew gave testimony before Congress in which he defended the app and brought up “Project Texas,” the company’s initiative to protect user data in the United States. Months later, the Montana House of Representatives passed a ban on TikTok, potentially making the app illegal if the state’s governor signs the bill. However, a judge blocked the state’s ban and declared the bill unconstitutional under the First Amendment’s right to free speech.

That means TikTok’s future in America remains in doubt. TikTok is fighting back and so are its users.

Here’s everything you need to know about the potential US ban on TikTok and what other Chinese apps could be affected.