
India’s ban on TikTok completed five years in January 2025 and marks the move as a significant milestone in the global flight over the app’s controversial nature. The popular short-format video-sharing platform was banned in India due to security concerns, citing risks related to data privacy as well as national security. But India our country was not the only one who took action against TikTok. Here’s a look at the countries that followed the banning of the application and the reasons behind its bans.
1. India (2020)
India banned TikTok in June 2020, after witnessing the national security concerns. The government raised alarms over the Chinese apps which were practising data privacy breaches, fearing that the user data might be accessed by the Chinese government.
ByteDance-owned TikTok ban was a part of a broader move towards addressing the concerns over national security, cyber threats and online content regulation which were not matching with the security protocol of the country.
2. United States (2020)
In 2020, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok, because of the citing of national security risks.
The concern was similar to that in India – that the user data could be shared with the Chinese government.
Despite of all the actions, the ban was never implemented completely, and legal challenges followed further in the nation.
It was then in 2021, when President Biden’s administration launched a review of the security concerns raised around the application.
3. Indonesia (2018)
It was back in 2018 when Indonesia temporarily banned TikTok, accusing it of hosting content related to adult content, pornography and inappropriate behaviour.
Later, the government lifted the ban after TikTok promised to implement stronger content regulation measures in the country. However, the app continues to face allegations related to similar concerns in Indonesia.
4. Pakistan (2019)
In 2019, Pakistan's telecommunications authority banned TikTok after witnessing the concerns over immoral and indecent content which were being uploaded on the platform.
The ban was reversed after TikTok promised to comply with the local regulations and monitor content more strictly in the region.
However, the app continues to face periodic restrictions in the country.
5. European Union (ongoing concerns)
While the European Union has not completely and directly banned TikTok, it has raised some serious concerns regarding data privacy practices.
Several EU countries have investigated TikTok’s violation of user’s data as per the data protection laws.
The app has further faced regulatory scrutiny across the region (Europe), with officials examining whether it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
6. Australia and Middle Eastern nations
A number of other countries, including Australia and some Middle Eastern nations, have also raised concerns over TikTok's content moderation practices and privacy policies.
Although they did not impose the full bans, many have imposed restrictions or demanded greater transparency.
Why did these bans take place and counted as important in the countries?
The bans on TikTok were important for specific countries because of the following reasons:
- National security: Governments of various nations were worried about the misuse of user data by foreign entities, specifically given the app's ownership by ByteDance in China.
- Data privacy: A lot of concerns over TikTok’s data collection practices and the potential sharing of user data with the Chinese government have led to calls for greater scrutiny in various regions of the world.
- Content regulation: Countries like Indonesia and Pakistan have raised concerns related to the adult and vague content that was being shared on the app, which further includes explicit material, misinformation and hate speech.
- Geopolitical tensions: In some cases, the application’s ban is also linked to broader geopolitical conflicts, particularly tensions between China and other countries.
Impact on content creators:
Many content creators (Indian as well as international) were also bothered by the ban as their financials were disturbed by the act.
What lies ahead for TikTok?
Despite facing bans and restrictions, TikTok has been dominating the global market by being a leading app in the social media space. The app has made efforts to comply with local regulations and improve its data privacy practices.
However, as the global debate on privacy and security continues, TikTok’s future in some regions remains uncertain.
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