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Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok

A growing number of governments have banned the popular video-sharing

app TikTok from devices issued to staff as privacy and cybersecurity
concerns rise. A handful have imposed nationwide bans on the app.

TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company Bytedance, has long

maintained that it doesn’t share data with the Chinese government. It says a
project to store American user data in the U.S. will put it out of China’s
reach and it disputes accusations that it collects any more user data than U.S.
social media companies do.

The arguments fell flat with U.S. lawmakers who grilled the company’s
CEO last month, with some pushing for a total ban for American users amid
reports that Washington wants to force ByteDance to sell off TikTok.

Many governments remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China.
Here are the places that have implemented partial or total bans on TikTok:

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership banned TikTok and the game PUBG in 2022
on the grounds of protecting young people from “being misled.”

AUSTRALIA

TikTok was banned from devices issued by the Australian federal government.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he made the decision after getting
advice from the country’s intelligence and security agencies.

BELGIUM

Belgium temporarily banned TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the

federal government, citing worries about cybersecurity, privacy and
misinformation. Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said the six-month ban was
based on warnings from the country’s state security service and cybersecurity
center.

CANADA

Canada announced government-issued devices must not use TikTok, saying that
it presents an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security. Employees will also
be blocked from downloading the app in the future.
DENMARK

Denmark’s Defense Ministry banned its employees from having TikTok on

their work phones, ordering staffers who have installed it to remove the app
from devices as soon as possible. The ministry said the reasons for the ban
included both “weighty security considerations” as well as “very limited work-
related need to use the app.”

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-
member bloc’s three main institutions, have imposed bans on TikTok on staff
devices. Under the European Parliament’s ban, lawmakers and staff were also
advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

FRANCE

“Recreational” use of TikTok and other social media apps like Twitter and
Instagram on government employees’ phones has been banned because of
worries about insufficient data security measures. The French government’s
statement didn’t name specific apps but noted the decision came after other
governments took measures targeting TikTok.

INDIA

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps
like messaging app WeChat in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The
ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed
Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens. The companies
were given a chance to respond to questions on privacy and security
requirements but the ban was made permanent in January 2021.

LATVIA

Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted that he deleted his TikTok account

and that the app is also prohibited from official foreign ministry smartphones.

NETHERLANDS

The Dutch central government banned apps including TikTok from employee

work phones citing data security concerns. A government statement did not
name TikTok specifically but said civil servants are discouraged from having
apps “from countries with an offensive cyber program against the Netherlands
and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices.”
NEW ZEALAND

Lawmakers in New Zealand and staff at the nation’s Parliament will be

prohibited from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice
from government cybersecurity experts. The app will be removed from all
devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials can make
special arrangements for anybody who needs TikTok to perform their
democratic duties.

NORWAY

The Norwegian parliament banned Tiktok on work devices, after the country’s

Justice Ministry warned the app shouldn’t be installed on phones issued to
government employees. The Parliament’s speaker said TikTok shouldn’t be on
devices that have access to the assembly’s systems and should be removed as
quickly as possible. The country’s capital Oslo and second largest city Bergen
also urged municipal employees to remove TikTok from their work phones.

PAKISTAN

Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since

October 2020, citing concerns that app promotes immoral content.

TAIWAN

In December 2022, Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI
warned that TikTok posed a national security risk. Government devices,
including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are not allowed to use
Chinese-made software, which include apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent
Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.

UNITED KINGDOM

British authorities in mid-March banned TikTok from mobile phones used by

government ministers and civil servants with immediate effect. Officials said
the ban was a “precautionary move” on security grounds, and doesn’t apply to
personal devices. The British Parliament followed up by banning TikTok from
all official devices and the “wider parliamentary network.” The semi-
autonomous Scottish government and London City Hall also banned TikTok
from staff devices. The BBC urged staff to delete TikTok from corporate
devices unless they’re using it for editorial and marketing reasons.
UNITED STATES

The U.S. at the start of March gave government agencies 30 days to delete
TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. The ban
applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are
advocating an outright ban. China lashed out at the U.S. for banning TikTok,
describing the ban as an abuse of state power and suppressing firms from other
countries. More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from
official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces.

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Yemen war: Saudi-Houthi talks bring hope of
ceasefire
A Saudi Arabian delegation is in Yemen's capital Sana'a for talks with the Houthi rebel
movement aimed at reaching a new and potentially permanent ceasefire.
A mediation team from Oman is also in Sana'a.

The capital has been controlled by the Houthis since they drove the Yemeni
government out in 2015.Soon after, war erupted between the Houthis and a Saudi-
led coalition supporting the government.It has continued ever since, leaving tens of
thousands of Yemenis dead and some 80% of the population relying on aid.
No official confirmation has been made by the Saudi side yet, but Houthi outlets say
that both the Saudi and Omani delegations are in Sana'a.

A leaked photo appears to show the Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi shaking
the hand of a Saudi official, whose face is obscured.This has been greeted as
another significant sign of the willingness of both sides to finally reach a deal that
could end the war.

No named officials have commented, but there have been reports from various
sources that an agreement could be signed before the end of the month.
Again, the terms of such a deal have not been made public.But they are said to
include commitments to pay the wages of public employees and reopen all ports and
airports - as well as more ambitious goals, such as rebuilding the country, the exit of
foreign forces and a political transition. All of these have been stumbling blocks in
the past.This initiative is itself in parallel with a UN process, which resulted in a
temporary ceasefire last year.

During the period of the truce, various confidence-building measures were able to go
ahead and those have continued, including the easing of restrictions on imports and
the exchange of prisoners.
The conflict in Yemen is complex - a permanent ceasefire between the Saudi-led
coalition and the Houthis wouldn't necessarily bring an end to all fighting.Other
factions, including Al-Qaeda, have their own battles still to fight.But the proxy war
between the Saudis and Iran does look like it is coming to an end - with the two
regional rivals now committed to a rapprochement that will see them reopen
diplomatic missions.That appears to have created the momentum for a serious drive
towards ending the war, with the talks in Sana'a clearly key to its success.