TikTok, a Chinese-based short form video app owned by ByteDance is planning to exit from Hong Kong’s app platforms following the announcement of China’s controversial National Security Law.
A TikTok spokesman said that the app will stop its operations in Hong Kong due to the recent security law implemented in the region.
TikTok has also said previously that it would not comply with any requests made by the Chinese government to censor content or for access to TikTok’s user data, nor has it ever been asked to do so.
According to sources, the decision was made because there was no clarity if Hong Kong would be under Beijing’s jurisdiction in the light of the new law.
United States Secretary of States Mike Pompeo says the US is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps including TikTok.
Following TikTok’s announcement, Facebook, Twitter, and Zoom have also suspended data requests from Hong Kong.
A spokesman for Zoom said the company “supports the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas”.
TikTok’s decision displays the dilemma Chinese companies face in an attempt to “internationalise,” said an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Source: Reuters