The social media app TikTok has witnessed outstanding growth over the years, but many countries banned TikTok recently, and many are doing the same. The platform has approximately 1 billion users today, amongst which 35% are between the age group of 20-29 years from all over the world.
Despite huge popularity, the social media platform has also received criticism over several issues, including security, privacy, and censorship of users.
Some countries have banned TikTok, while others have attempted to block it or impose temporary restrictions. The list isn’t short; you will be surprised that many first-world nations have taken steps toward a complete TikTok ban. Keep reading this post to know when and why the most popular countries have banned TikTok.
Why Is TikTok Banned In Some Countries?
Every country that banned TikTok sooner or later has one reason in common, China. Law regulators and makers worldwide have just shown their serious concern over the issue that ByteDance – the company that has developed the TikTok platform may put users’ sensitive data, like their personal or local information, in the hands of the Chinese Government.
Most countries that banned TikTok have highlighted Chinese Government law to secretly extract users’ data from Chinese Companies for intelligence-gathering information. Every country that banned TikTok holds its reasons and security concerns.
At the same time, some countries have banned TikTok completely, while a few are the ones that have imposed limitations on it.
| Country | Date of Ban | Reason for Ban |
|---|---|---|
| India | June 29, 2020 | National security concerns |
| United States | September 27, 2020 | National security concerns |
| Afghanistan | April 2022 | Content not consistent with Islamic laws |
| Canada | February 2023 | Security concerns |
| Belgium | February 2023 | Security concerns |
| Austria | February 2023 | Security concerns |
| Denmark | February 2023 | Security concerns |
| France | February 2023 | Security concerns |
| United Kingdom | March 16, 2023 | Security concerns |
| Bangladesh | March 2023 | Content not appropriate for children |
| Syria | March 2023 | National security concerns |
| Indonesia | March 2023 | Content not appropriate for children |
| Armenia | March 2023 | National security concerns |
| Azerbaijan | March 2023 | National security concerns |
| Australia | April 4, 2023 | Security concerns |
| Estonia | April 2023 | Security concerns |
| The Netherlands | April 2023 | Security concerns |
| Norway | April 2023 | Security concerns |
| New Zealand | April 2023 | Security concerns |
| Taiwan | December 2022 | National security concerns |
| Pakistan | May 2023 | Content not appropriate for children |
| Latvia | May 2023 | Security concerns |
List Of Countries That Banned TikTok:
If you want to know which country banned TikTok first, it is India. The list of countries that banned TikTok mentioned below is not in any ascending or descending order of the year they put the ban. We have created this list of countries only to give you an overview of all the nations where you can’t use TikTok.
1. India:
India was the first country to ban TikTok across the nation. In June 2020, the government of India banned this video-sharing platform citing national security concerns.
Along with TikTok, India banned 58 other Chinese apps; more than 100 have been banned since then. The government cited that these apps collect and store data in offshore servers.
2. United States:
According to some reports, TikTok is still banned in more than 50 states, and China has opposed this ban stating that the United States is abusing its power to restrict other firms from doing business in their country.
The US government has directed agencies to delete the app from federal devices, and the ban will be effective from January 1, 2024.
3. Afghanistan:
According to BBC, the Taliban banned TikTok and PUBG from the country in April 2022, citing that these apps are against Islamic rules and they are promoting filthy content among youngsters.
Most TikTok creators in the country started seeing a drop in their reach, but it gained momentum when people started using VPNs to access the service.
4. Bangladesh:
The government restricted the usage of TikTok in November 2018, but users could use the service normally until 2021.
In 2021, the government ordered that TikTok and several similar applications be banned for three months until they are in talks with the officials from TikTok to regulate how they process the user’s data.
5. Canada:
Canada prohibited TikTok from implementing governance in February 2023, citing security concerns. The administration was uneasy that the app could be utilized to gather information about Canadian officials of governance.
While the citizens are not restricted to using the app, the government has advised them not to share their personal information.
6. Belgium:
Among all the countries that banned TikTok, Belgium is the only country that has not completely banned the service, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has said that they are restricting devices owned or paid for by the government to protect their data.
The officials of TikTok stated that they are disappointed with the decision as they’ve always regulated the IT Rules and Regulations of the country.
7. Austria:
On May 10, 2023, Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that they are banning TikTok from the phones and devices owned by government employees.
However, he further clarified that citizens can use it without any issues but must be cautious about what they share with the platform.
8. Denmark:
In February 2023, Denmark’s Defense Ministry ordered its employees and workers to immediately remove TikTok from their devices.
However, they haven’t stated any specific date when the platform will be banned, but the government is in talks with TikTok officials to regulate the data being sent outside of the country.
9. France:
On March 24, 2023, France joined the list of countries that banned TikTok when the French government banned TikTok and many other recreational apps like Netflix, Instagram, etc., for their employees.
The decision came after many government officials showed concern about data security. However, normal citizens can use such services without any issues or restrictions.
10. Syria:
While the Syrian government did not announce the real issue for the ban, some reports suggest that Syria prohibited the app because of human trafficking through Europe and other countries that share borders with it. It is said that the app is still used by millions of people in Syria through VPN apps.
11. Indonesia:
According to Reuters, the Indonesian government banned the usage of TikTok in 2018 because of potential “pornography, inappropriate content, and blasphemy,” The ban was revoked after about 6 months when TikTok agreed to censor the objected content. The service is still inaccessible in many parts of the country.
12. Armenia:
In October 2020, many TikTok users complained that they could not use the service, but there was no announcement of a ban made by the government.
However, some reports suggested that the Armenian government has restricted the services of TikTok in many parts of the country as it could be a source to spread misinformation during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
13. Australia:
TikTok was not banned in Australia in one go. First, 68 Australian federal agencies banned TikTok from work devices; then, the federal government started reviewing the usage of this app by all government employees around the country. On April 4, 2023, they announced that TikTok was banned from all government-owned devices.
14. Azerbaijan:
On September 27, 2020, NetBlocks confirmed that many social media networks like TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Zoom, Facebook, YouTube, and many more are restricted in the region.
After a backlash from citizens, the government clarified that the restriction was made to “prevent large-scale provocations from Armenia” during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
15. Estonia:
While the government indicated in the year 2020 that there could be a ban on TikTok, the app was allowed to operate normally until March 29, 2023.
The Minister of IT and Foreign Trade announced that they are going to join the list of countries that banned TikTok as this app will be removed from their employees’ devices, and the installation will be prohibited on new devices from the same month.
16. The Netherlands:
In November 2022, the Dutch Ministry of General Affairs suggested that the government restrict or ban services like TikTok to protect citizens’ data.
After a while, the government started talking with the officials from TikTok to regulate their services and put a ban on the service until they adjusted its data protection policy.
17. Norway:
The Justice Ministry of Norway suggested that apps like TikTok are not required for government officials, and soon, the app was banned for the officials.
After urging government employees to uninstall the app from their devices, the government has started monetizing the usage of such apps to control its operations further.
18. New Zealand:
In April 2023, the government of New Zealand announced that they are banning the usage of TikTok on government devices. Anyone working for the country’s parliament will not be able to use the service unless they have been granted special permission from them.
New Zealand is the only country on this list of countries that banned TikTok that has not commented on the ban on TikTok for everyone in the country.
19. Taiwan:
After the warning from the FBI citing the risk of using TikTok for data breaches, Taiwan banned this app from public sector devices.
The government was worried that the app could be used to collect data on Taiwanese citizens or to spread propaganda along with TikTok; similar apps and services like Douyin and Xiaohongshu were also banned.
20. Pakistan:
Pakistan banned TikTok in May 2023, saying that the app’s content was inappropriate for children. The government said the app promoted “obscenity” and “violence.”
According to the data, the Pakistani government has restricted or partially banned TikTok about four times since 2020, yet people can use it via a VPN service.
21. Latvia:
On March 1, 2023, the Foreign Minister of Latvia tweeted that he had deleted TikTok from his devices and directed all other officials working for Foreign Ministry to do the same.
The Deputy Head of the Information Technology (IT) Safety Incident Prevention Body “Cert.lv” stated that they don’t have evidence of a data breach, but there could be some loopholes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Now you’ve got to know about all the countries that banned TikTok until now, there might be some questions running through your mind. Well, you are not alone.
We have answered some of the most commonly asked questions that will help you understand more about where TikTok is banned and why it got banned.
There are nearly 25 countries now that have banned TikTok completely. Every country that banned Tik Tok holds its reasons and concerns, but many of them have one reason in common “the security of the user’s data.” Few are the countries that have banned it completely, while few are the ones that have imposed limitations on it.
The number one reason behind the TikTok ban around the world is because of security and privacy concerns. Since the official servers of TikTok are in China, many countries are worried that they might be holding crucial data of their citizens. Upon not agreeing to share the data, governments of many nations have nothing left but to ban it.
Yes! If you live in one of many TikTok-forbidden countries, you can download the TikTok APK file on your Android devices to continue using the platform. However, the app won’t connect to the internet if you are from a country like India, where the ban is on the server side. You will have to use a VPN or proxy to access its services.
A lot of people ask if TikTok is banned in the US, if it is banned in Australia, etc. No, the ban on the TikTok platform so far has only been for certain countries that have cited security concerns. The service is still available in most parts of the world and continues to grow its massive user base. You can visit its website to see if it is available in your region.
If TikTok gets banned in your country, your app will stop loading the content immediately. Sometimes government orders app stores to take down the service from their store, but users can still use it if the ban is not on the server side. When there’s a complete service shutdown, there’s no way to use it without third-party tools or services.
Final Words:
We have included the TikTok-forbidden countries 2024 so you can know which countries recently banned TikTok. While TikTok is trying hard to keep itself established worldwide, many governments and intelligence organizations are against the platform, citing security concerns.
You might know how many countries banned TikTok and who regulated its working in their nation. We will keep this list of countries that banned TikTok updated with the latest news and updates related to TikTok launching and banning, so stay connected.
Also, you can connect with us via the comments below if you have anything to ask about the countries that have banned TikTok.
Hi, I am Anshul Mathur. A Cisco Certified Network Associate and Blogger from Sikar, Rajasthan. I love digging deep into the technology world, therefore I write about it on this blog.
