LONDON:
Chinese app TikTok, which was recently banned in India over data security concerns has said it will exit the Hong Kong market within days as other technology companies including Facebook have suspended processing government requests for user data in the region, reported Reuters.
“In light of recent events, we’ve decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” a TikTok spokesman said in response to a Reuters question about its commitment to the market.
This development comes after the Chinese government’s newly-enforced law, which requires companies to provide user data as well as to comply with censorship requests in order to do business in the country.
“In light of recent events, we’ve decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” a spokesperson told Axios. Several other companies are considering to make a similar move.
The move comes after TikTok’s parent company ByteDance sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience.
Last month, India banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely-popular TikTok and UC Browser, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. The ban, which comes in the backdrop of India’s current stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh with Chinese troops, is also applicable for WeChat and Bigo Live.
India’s ban on Chinese apps has been widely noted in the US, including by some prominent lawmakers, who have urged the American government to follow suit as it is believed that the short video-sharing app is a major security risk to the country.
Meanwhile, in a recent development, after India, now the United States is also considering banning Chinese apps like TikTok. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said the United States is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.
Speaking in an interview with FOx News, Pompeo said, “I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News.
Also, Chinese apps could also be banned in Australia amid fears that the platform may be sharing users’ data with the Chinese Government.
