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British authorities on Thursday banned the use of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on official devices. Oliver Dowden, Minister for the Cabinet Office, has informed the UK Parliament that the ban will extend to official phones and devices used by government officials and employees. Personal mobile phones and electronic devices are exempt from the ban. With that, the UK joined the list of at least countries that have banned the use of TikTok for their employees on charges ranging from privacy concerns to national security to inducing harmful content. India
Citing privacy and security concerns, the Center banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps during the covid outbreak in 2020. The ban was implemented shortly after the conflict in Galwan, which killed 20 Indian soldiers. (ALSO READ: TikTok closes India office, lays off all employees three years after ban: report)
US
In February, the US government gave its departments and organizations 30 days to remove the program from their devices. The restriction will only apply to US lawmakers. (ALSO READ: US tells ByteDance to sell TikTok. Says: "If it protects national security...")
Canada
In February, Canada asked its government officials to refrain from using the TikTok app because it poses an "unacceptable" risk to their security and privacy.
European Union
In February, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU banned TikTok on the devices of their employees.
Denmark
The Danish Ministry of Defense announced on March 6 that it would "prohibit the use of the application in official units" as a cybersecurity measure. He claimed that espionage was a possibility.
Belgium
Belgium has banned TikTok on government phones due to concerns about cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation, the country's prime minister said on March 10.
The Chinese app is also banned in Taiwan and Afghanistan. Pakistan has temporarily banned TikTok at least four times over concerns that the software encourages the consumption of pornographic material.
