TikTok has grown in popularity since its launch in September 2016 and now has over 1.5 billion active monthly users in over 150 countries.
Despite its undeniable success, TikTok is fraught with controversy in many parts of the world. Some countries have banned TikTok, while others have attempted to block it or imposed temporary restrictions.
Former US President Donald Trump attempted but failed, to impose a TikTok ban in the United States in 2020. However, some countries have had greater success in this regard.
Read Also: Like Youtube, TikTok starts Creator Fund called the ‘Creativity Program’
While it is not completely banned in Russia, its legal status is troubling. TikTok allowed only Russian content to be featured in the country.
In other countries, however, the controversial app is outright banned. Here are a few examples.
India
In 2020, Indian authorities cracked down hard on Chinese apps, banning TikTok and over 50 others in the summer of that year.
India chose to ban Chinese apps due to TikTok and national security concerns. TikTok was a huge hit in the country before it was shut down, with over 200 million users.
TikTok’s ban in India is indefinite, and the company has exited the market.
Afghanistan
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 and ordered a TikTok ban in early 2022.
Read Also: TikTok introduces new feature that allows users to go live
As mentioned in an article published by the BBC, the Taliban said they aimed to “prevent the younger generation from being misled”. The ban had not yet taken effect as of January 2023, and no one knows whether it will be permanent.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s relationship with TikTok has been complicated. Between October 2020 and November 2021, authorities in the country banned the app four times.
The first ban, in October 2020, lasted 10 days and was the result of inappropriate content. The app was banned again in March 2021, this time for four months.
TikTok was banned again in Pakistan two months later. This one, on the other hand, only lasted three days.
Bangladesh
Another country where TikTok has previously landed in hot water in Bangladesh. The app’s access was limited in November 2018, but users were able to consume content again in 2020.
However, TikTok’s run-ins with Bangladeshi authorities did not end there. A court in the country ordered that the app, along with several others, be banned for three months again in the summer of 2021.
Indonesia
Indonesia is another country that has previously banned TikTok. Due to the platform’s content, authorities in the country decided to restrict user access to the app in July 2018. According to the government, users had access to pornography and other inappropriate content.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel Switch TV
TikTok’s ban in Indonesia lasted only a little more than a week; it was allowed to resume operations once the offensive content was removed.
