TikTok Troubles Continue; Popular App Pulls Out Of Hong Kong

TikTok's stint with troubles seems far from over. The popular short video app was recently banned in India, along with 58 other Chinese apps. Now, the app is going to stop offering its platform in Hong Kong, following a new national security law.

TikTok Stops Service

Here's what happened: Hong Kong recently adopted a new national security law where the region grants expanded powers to the mainland Chinese government. This means, that the Chinese government will have a larger power over Hong Kong, including citizen's data.

"In light of recent events, we've decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong," a TikTok spokesperson said to Axios. This means TikTok will no longer be available in Hong Kong, just like India. Of course, the reasons and the situations are quite different.

Not only TikTok, but other tech companies operating in Hong Kong have expressed concerns. The new law could force multi-national companies to comply with the Chinese government's censorship standards, and sends user data to the mainland. What's more, Google, Facebook, and Twitter have already stopped processing requests for user data from the Hong Kong government.

TikTok User Data

The move may seem surprising to many, especially because TikTok is owned by a Chinese internet conglomerate, ByteDance. At the same time, TikTok is the non-Chinese app, and Douyin the Chinese version of it. The key difference is something the company has been struggling to make people understand.

Irrespective of its ownership, TikTok has always insisted that it has never shared user data with the Chinese government. However, the new Hong Kong law would have forced TikTok to share data if it continues to operate in the region.

Nevertheless, TikTok has been under the radar for years now. The scrutiny that started in the US, has spread to other countries. India is the latest country to bring TikTok under the radar, by banning it altogether. TikTok said it wouldn't take legal action, but is in talks with the government to bring back the app in the country.