Countries such as Indonesia and Bangladesh have banned it on the basis of pornography-related concerns, while others like Armenia and Azerbaijan have implemented restrictions to mitigate the spread of information which could lead to conflict.
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.
The Italian antitrust authority on Tuesday accused TikTok of breaching its own guidelines by failing to remove content related to suicide, self-harm and poor nutrition. A recent face-marking challenge, dubbed "French scar," has taken the app by storm. The challenge involves pinching one's face until it bruises.
Social media app TikTok has been banned on government electronic devices, the Cabinet Office has announced today. The ban comes after Cabinet Office Ministers ordered a security review.
Fact: TikTok, which is not available in mainland China, has established Los Angeles and Singapore as headquarters locations to meet its business needs. That is in keeping with ByteDance's approach to aligning business needs to the markets where its services operate. ByteDance does not have a single global headquarters.
ALBANY — More states are moving to ban TikTok on government equipment, but New York was one of the first to do so — quietly adopting an internal policy in June 2020 that prohibited its use on mobile devices as officials sought to strengthen security measures and guard against cyber threats and other data intrusions.
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.
TikTok is being banned from electronic devices issued by the SA government amid a national crackdown on the social media platform — but MPs and public sector staff will be allowed to maintain accounts on personal phones.
TikTok was banned in India in 2020, but a review by Forbes found that the company's employees can still mine some of Indians' most sensitive data.
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 can be used on Singapore government-issued devices only on a 'need-to' basis. This is an existing policy that mandates only approved apps can be downloaded on government-issued devices, said the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group.
Since TikTok is a mobile app, the best way to access the video-sharing app from within Russia is to subscribe to a VPN provider that works in the country and offers a mobile app. Since anonymity and privacy are so important, it's imperative that you choose the best VPNs for protecting yourself.
According to the latest data on TikTok's advertising reach, the United States is home to the majority of TikTok users worldwide, with 116.5 million TikTokers residing there.
Quick tip: After deleting your TikTok account, it will be in a "deactivated" state for 30 days before it's permanently deleted.
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.
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.
Lawmakers have alleged that the Chinese government, under a 2017 National Intelligence law, can force ByteDance to share TikTok user data. TikTok argues that because it is incorporated in California and Delaware, it is subject to U.S. laws and regulations.
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.
The app is letting users restrict their videos so only viewers only the age of 18 can watch. In a blog post, TikTok announced an expansion of its Content Levels, which group the app's users by age and restrict the content seen by younger groups.
Douyin and TikTok are both made in China and are the two versions of the same giant social media application. While Douyin is the original version of the app, the rest of the world only talks about the international version: the triumphant TikTok.
China is one of the few countries that have blocked Snapchat and as a result, China users are unable to access Snapchat. To unblock Snapchat in China, you will need a VPN that works inside the country.