TikTok announced its exit from Hong Kong in July 2020, a week after China imposed a controversial national security law in the city. The decision came as the app tried to distance itself from China and its Beijing-based parent company
ByteDance pulled the social video app from Hong Kong in 2020 amid concerns over a national security law that gave China enhanced powers in the city. TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, appeared at a US congressional hearing in March and denied that the Chinese Communist party had accessed US user data.
The government has announced a ban on 59 China‑sourced apps, including TikTok, WeChat, Helo, Weibo, Kwai, SHAREit, UC Browser, UC News, Club Factory, Clash of Kings and Cam Scanner.
But the wildly popular platform, developed with homegrown Chinese technology, isn't accessible in China. In fact, it's never existed there. Instead, there's a different version of TikTok — a sister app called Douyin.
Instagram is one of the mainstream media sharing and social media sites in Hong Kong. However, like various social media sites in Hong Kong such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, Instagram faces a ban in schools, colleges, universities, and libraries.
Since then, YouTube has been inaccessible from mainland China. However, YouTube can still be accessed from Hong Kong, Macau, the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, specific hotels, and by using a VPN.
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.
A member of K-pop supergroup BTS has spoken about South Korean artists' struggle to perform in mainland China. During an online livestream with fans, Suga made the rare acknowledgement that he “can't perform in China“ as no Korean group can work in the country.
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.
Why are governments banning TikTok? It all comes down to China. Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government.
In 2022, Taiwanese authorities banned TikTok from public sector devices over concerns of usage by the Chinese government to conduct "cognitive warfare" against Taiwan.
No, TikTok is not banned in China, it just isn't available under the same name. Although it is true that TikTok is not available for download in mainland China, it is not banned. The Chinese version of TikTok is actually the original version of the app, called Douyin.
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.
Is Spotify Blocked in China? Yes, Spotify is blocked in China. In fact, Spotify doesn't even offer its services in Mainland China at all. Many users, even if they have a premium account, report losing access to Spotify a few days after they start using it in China.
Bans or former bans by country
Still banned, although not blocked in Hong Kong and Macau. Banned for three days. Initially banned due to the 2009 Iranian presidential election.
When it comes to monthly active users, WhatsApp topped the list and was followed by Facebook and WeChat. The study also included other categories. For example, in the retail category, atome HK was the most downloaded app, followed by Sasa HK and Market Places by Jasons.
Instagram and WhatsApp are by far the most used social media and communication platforms in Hong Kong. Indeed, WhatsApp is the most popular for communication and business purposes, while Instagram is the most popular for sharing, and following content, and news.
Officially, the Chinese government has banned the use of VPNs not approved by the government: VPNs must provide the government backdoor access to be approved, which renders them unsecure. However, this law applies to companies and corporations rather than individuals.
Instead, the social media sites Chinese use are WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan, Toutiao, and DouYin (TikTok).
Is WhatsApp allowed in Hong Kong? Because of the one country two systems policy, the internet is not censored in Hong Kong for now and residents are able to access WhatsApp which is banned on the mainland. In fact, more Hong Kong people use WhatsApp than WeChat or Line, or other instant message apps.