When Tik Tok was launched in September 2016, the short- video sharing platform was widely accepted all over the world with downloads totalling over 3 billion. The increased popularity surged its users to over 1 billion in over 150 countries.
Tiktok, owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance, despite its success, is embroiled in several controversies. While some countries are still seeking assurance from the company’s Chief Executive, Shou Zi Chew, some other countries have banned TikTok while others have temporarily restricted the video-sharing app.
Security concerns and privacy issues top the list of concerns about the app which has over 16.2 million users in Nigeria. According to Statista, Tiktok is the 8th most used social media platform in the country out of the 11 most popular platforms ranked.
Where is TikTok currently banned?
India
India was the first country to implement a TikTok ban. The Indian authorities chose to ban the app citing concerns related to national security. The ban in India is permanent and the company has withdrawn from the south Asian country’s market.
Afghanistan
The Taliban took over the government in 2021 and ordered a ban on TikTok the same year. In an article published by the BBC, the Taliban said they aimed to “prevent the younger generation from being misled”.
As of January 2023, the ban hadn’t yet come into place and nobody knows whether it’ll be permanent.
United States
Many Governors in the United States have issued Executive Orders banning Tik Tok from government issued-devices. According to the authorities, the ban was a response to security concerns that the Tik Tok app posed to US citizens.
In 2020, Nebraska was the first state to issue a ban. Other states that have slammed TikTok use in one way or the other are South Dakota, North Dakota, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas, New Hampshire, Utah, Louisiana, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, New Jersey, Alabama, Virginia, and Montana. As of Tuesday, Washington had banned the app on the US government’s federal employees’ devices.
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