TikTok is not without controversy; in fact, the widely used app has been outlawed in many nations. TikTok has experienced a rise in popularity since its September 2016 launch.
Numerous networks have developed similar features for the short video-sharing platform to challenge the company's hegemony, with more than one billion active monthly users across more than 150 countries.
TikTok is controversial in many parts of the world despite its undeniable success. Now let's explore these countries and why they had the short video-sharing app was banned.
What Countries is TikTok Banned?
Former US President Donald Trump was unsuccessful in attempting to implement a TikTok ban in America in 2020. Some countries, nevertheless, have had greater success in this area.
Russian users' new video uploads to TikTok have been disabled owing to the country's fake news law, even though the app is still legal there.
However, there are several nations where the app is formally prohibited.
Afghanistan
Early in 2022, after seizing power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, the Taliban imposed a TikTok prohibition.
The Taliban said they wanted to "protect the younger generation from being deceived," as was revealed in a BBC piece. The prohibition was not yet implemented as of May 2022, and its permanence is unknown.
India
In 2020, Indian authorities cracked down hard on Chinese applications, and in the summer of that year, TikTok was among more than 50 other apps that were prohibited.
India decided to ban Chinese applications, claiming worries about TikTok and national security. Before it was restricted, TikTok had more than 200 million users nationwide.
The firm (ByteDance) has left the market, and TikTok's ban in India is permanent.
Which countries banned Tiktok in the past?
Several countries have already banned TikTok, in addition to India's potentially permanent ban and Afghanistan's intentions to restrict the Bytedance-owned app. Many have now changed their minds, though.
The following list includes three nations that have previously banned TikTok but now permit users to use the app once more.
Pakistan
Pakistan's relationship with TikTok has been rocky. Between October 2020 and November 2021, local authorities in the nation banned the app no fewer than four times.
Due to content being judged improperly, the initial suspension in October 2020 lasted for ten days. The app was once more forbidden in March 2021, but just for April.
In Pakistan, TikTok was once again banned two months later. The duration of this one was barely three days.
The fourth prohibition, enacted in July 2021, was in effect for around four months.
Indonesia
Another country that has already banned TikTok is Indonesia. Authorities in the nation decided to limit user access to the app in July 2018 because of the platform's content. Users had free access to pornography and other inappropriate content, according to the authorities.
The suspension on TikTok in Indonesia only lasted a little over a week; after it had deleted the inappropriate content, it was permitted to resume operations.
Bangladesh
Another country where TikTok has already into afoul of the law in Bangladesh. Users might once more access the app in 2020 after it was made difficult to access in November 2018.
But that wasn't TikTok's only encounter with Bangladeshi law enforcement. A court in the nation mandated that the app, along with a number of others, be banned once more for three months in the summer of 2021.
Why is TikTok Banned in Certain Countries?
TikTok was prohibited in India and other nations because of privacy concerns and possible ties to the Chinese government. The issue stems from the presumption that Chinese businesses cannot reject requests from the Communist Party to access their customer data.
Despite TikTok's denial that it shares user data with Chinese authorities, numerous nations have partially or completely banned the app due to their suspicions.
Below is a list of countries that now ban TikTok.
| Location | Banned status | Reason |
| Russia | Restricted since Feb 2022 | War in Ukraine |
| India | Banned since June 2020 | Data security threat |
| Bangladesh | Censored | Inappropriate content |
| Indonesia | Censored | Inappropriate content |
| United States | Not currently banned | |
| Australia | Not currently banned | |
| European Union | Not currently banned |
Is TikTok bannd in China?
Beijing is home to Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok. TikTok doesn't work in China, despite this.
Instead, consumers throughout the country can download the Douyin app. Although you cannot download the app outside of China, it is comparable to TikTok.
Current Status: Not banned but represent by another application called Douyin.
Is Tiktok banned in India?
One of 59 Chinese applications blocked in India due to a border dispute between China and India was Tiktok.
Due to the user data it gathers, Indian officials said the app a threat to the integrity and security of the nation.
The Economic Times reported that India's Ministry of Information Technology made the following remark:
"The gathering of these data, their mining and profiling by forces opposed to India's national security and defense, which ultimately compromises its sovereignty and integrity, is a matter of extremely profound and immediate concern that calls for emergency actions."
India was TikTok's biggest overseas market, with an estimated 120 million subscribers. Unsurprisingly, despite the ongoing restriction, many of these people want to know how to utilize TikTok in India. Thankfully, there are solutions, which we shall go through below.
Current Status: Not banned
Is TikTok banned in Russia?
Although most social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are blocked in Russia, TikTok is still accessible. Russian viewers can only see older videos published by accounts with a Russian location because TikTok has blocked all new and non-Russian material since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, you may get full access to TikTok in Russia by using a VPN.
Is TikTok banned in the USA?
Due to worries over data harvesting, President Trump vowed to ban TikTok in 2020. On US government phones, the app was prohibited.
However, TikTok said that because all American data is held there, it is not governed by Chinese law. In the end, the app was never prohibited in the United States.
Current Status: Not banned
Is TikTok banned in Indonesia?
In 2018, TikTok was briefly banned in Indonesia, but the restriction was removed when the business agreed to regulate some of its material. Concerns about pornography, improper material, and blasphemy served as the justification for the prohibition.
Current Status: Censored
Is TikTok banned in Bangladesh?
TikTok is back in Bangladesh after a brief suspension period, but with significant restrictions. Ten films were removed as part of this censoring on government objections. According to Bangladeshi officials, there are currently no intentions to outlaw the app.
Current Status: Censored
Is TikTok banned in Australia?
Due to its ties to China, the Australian government debated banning the TikTok app in 2020. It did not impose a ban but issued a warning to app users.
Current Status: Not banned
Is TikTok banned in the European Union?
Similar to Australia, the European Union does not forbid using TikTok; however, data protection organizations have begun investigating the app's privacy practices since July 2020. The European Union and other countries share concerns about user information and how it is collected and utilized.
Current Status: Not banned
What has TikTok said to all of These Concerns?
When asked about privacy and security, the creators of TikTok reacted by saying that the Chinese government has no access to the information the app collects. Nikhil Gandhi, the organization's head of India, stated the following in a blog post:
"We have not given any information on our Indian users to any foreign governments or utilized this information in any way that would jeopardize India's sovereignty. Furthermore, we wouldn't comply even if asked to in the future.
Additionally, TikTok criticized the Trump administration's assertion that the app poses a security risk, asserting that the claims are false.
How to access TikTok in banned countries?
When asked about privacy and security, the creators of TikTok reacted by saying that the Chinese government has no access to the information the app collects. Nikhil Gandhi, the organization's head of India, stated the following in a blog post:
"We have not given any information on our Indian users to any foreign governments or utilized this information in any way that would jeopardize India's sovereignty. Furthermore, we wouldn't comply even if asked to in the future.
Additionally, TikTok criticized the Trump administration's assertion that the app poses a security risk, asserting that the claims are false.
Here is a list of handy solutions to the problem of accessing TikTok from a banned country;
- Download a VPN and access TikTok
- Download and install TikTok on iPhone (iPad)
- Download and install TikTok on Android
The Best TikTok Alternatives in the United States
- YouTube Shorts:
YouTube has its short-form video product called YouTube Shorts to compete with TikTok and IGTV. The nicest thing is that YouTube shorts are included in the main app in a different section, so you don't need to download a separate app for
- Thriller:
With its outstanding content publishing and editing features, Triller is a terrific alternative to TikTok. Originally a video editing program, it quickly shifted to include social tools and features. This app is simple to use and has a ton of high-quality information. Like TikTok's duet function, Triller enables producers to collaborate while enabling consumers to create flawless lip-sync videos.
Triller also offers a built-in music library with contemporary releases and playlists to choose from while editing your video material. The videos are called "Trills," and there is also a live-streaming option called Triller TV.
The Best TikTok Alternatives in India
Despite being forbidden in India, you may still use TikTok's online application by using a reliable VPN. You can switch to a full-featured TikTok alternative because this gives a fairly constrained experience. YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels are the first two options that come to mind.
Numerous domestic short-video applications also include capabilities comparable to those of TikTok. We've included two of the most well-liked ones compatible with Android and iPhone.
- Moj: Moj was one of several similar applications that witnessed a sharp increase in downloads when TikTok was banned in India. On the Google Play Store, the application has currently had over 10 billion downloads. It has a user-friendly interface and is simple to use. Consequently, you don't need to be concerned about moving to an app like Moj.
- Josh: With over ten crore downloads on Google Play Store alone, Josh is one of India's most famous short video-sharing platforms. You get a familiar user interface with access to an extensive music library. You get dozens of filters, effects, and video editing tools to create eye-catching videos.
Is there any Risk to Using TikTok?
It's common for an innocent-looking social media app to be banned nationwide. Users of TikTok are actually at risk. These include the security flaws that some versions of the program have. Although TikTok often patches these problems, your device and its data are still at risk while waiting for the fix.
The degree of accessibility required for the app to work was another issue. Included in this is the iOS 14 clipboard access, which was employed to identify people who copied the same comment to many accounts on the same device. But Apple later deleted the function and solved the issue.
Other issues with TikTok include banned material, censorship in some places, the vulnerability of youngsters using the app, and risky internet obstacles. You may read our "The Privacy Risks of TikTok" post for more details.
How to Protect Yourself on TikTok
There are several options in the app that you may change if you want to continue using TikTok while being as secure as possible. Following are a handful of them:
- Use a private account now.
- Disable personal data collection.
- Turn on the restricted mode.
- The "allow others to find me" option should be changed.
- All safety parameters should be set to "Friends."
Parents should pay close attention to these settings to safeguard children on TikTok, even though some configuration adjustments are a matter of personal opinion. Thankfully, new privacy measures for young users of TikTok were released in August 2021. However, these regulations' usefulness in the actual world is still up for debate. Additionally, TikTok changed its privacy policy in 2022 to prohibit users from declining tailored adverts. Since this modification does not adhere to GDPR, the Italian Data Protection Authority has declared it illegal.
Why is TikTok banned in certain countries?
Because every circumstance is dependent on the region's complex politics, it is difficult to predict if TikTok will continue to be prohibited in some nations. For instance, TikTok was considered illegal in the US, but this was never done. On the other side, Pakistan has repeatedly banned TikTok before lifting the restrictions. India appears to be in a distinct circumstance, and the ban will be in place for some time.
If other nations determine the app poses a severe security danger to their citizens. The continuing study findings and TikTok's response to these issues will likely determine the duration of these prohibitions.
Also Read: Will Tiktok be deleted in 2023
Conclusion
So in this guide, we explored the various countries in which TikTok is banned, why these countries decided to do so, and how to access TikTok from these countries.
Some nations believe TikTok is a threat to their threat to data and personal info of users who are citizens of that countries.
While TikTok is not banned in most countries, the fact stills remain that a couple of nations still have TikTok banned to date.
I hope this guide helps you. Please leave your comments below, if any. Thanks for reading.