The video app TikTok is one of the most attractive social networks for young people and its popularity reaches more than 100,000 million followers worldwide, according to a marketing agency We’re social. However, some governments have censored the use of these Chinese applications on their country’s computers. What is the reason for this ban and in which countries is it implemented? We explain it to you in the following notes Republic.

For what reason does he want to ban Tik Tok?

Use tick tock, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has sparked controversy and concern in various countries regarding data privacy and cybersecurity. One of the main fears of the US government stems from the National Intelligence Act in China, approved in 2017, which requires companies in the country to provide information or communication tools that they have access to.

Along those lines, its main critics accuse the social network of collecting user data so it can be used by Chinese authorities, based on a security report published in July last year by Internet 2.0 researchers from Australia. According to this study, TikTok collects details such as the user’s location, what device they are using, and other applications on their phones.

However, TikTok executives have maintained, for several years, that their employees cannot access the data of users who are not from the country. They also rejected accusations that they kept more information than any other social media company, calling this criticism “basic misinformation without evidence”.

To be precise, a few weeks ago they filed a lawsuit in court in Montana, United States of America, against laws that censor the use of this application in the State. In this case, they indicated that the law violated freedom of expression and interfered with federal affairs.

In which countries is the use of Tik Tok prohibited?

India: In 2020, the state banned the use of TikTok and 58 other apps for privacy and security reasons, shortly after a confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in a Himalayan border area that left twenty soldiers dead and dozens injured.

Pakistan: The Asian country decided to block video apps in 2020, deeming its content “immoral”. However, the veto was lifted four times.

Canada: In February this year, the Government of Canada announced a ban on TikTok on official mobile phones because it poses a level of risk to your privacy and security.

Denmark and Sweden: Both countries censored the use of Tik Tok in February for security reasons.

Great Britain: Last Thursday, March 16, the country’s authorities announced a ban on this video app on government devices due to a report from the Cybersecurity Center stating that “there may be a risk of extracting user data for review.

New Zealand: Since March 31, New Zealand has been on the list of countries where TikTok is banned for cybersecurity reasons in political activities. This decision was informed by the Parliamentary Service, which notified staff that the app would be removed from devices with access to the Parliament network.

France: Macron government, through Ministry of Transformation and Public Functionsannounced a ban on TikTok on public officials’ phones for cybersecurity reasons and to protect the data displayed on their administration’s and public officials’ computers.

United States of America: On February 27, the United States Government announced that federal agencies would remove the app from officials’ devices in an effort to keep data secure from the country. Similarly, on May 17, the governor of the state of Montana signed into law a ban on all residents’ use of TikTok on mobile devices to protect their personal data.