Which countries have banned TikTok and why?

Australia has become the latest country to ban TikTok from federal government devices, as concerns grow over the privacy and security of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.

The United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand - which form with Australia the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing partners - have all taken similar steps against TikTok in recent weeks.

Experts fear sensitive information could be exposed when the app is downloaded, especially on government devices.

TikTok disputes accusations that it collects more user data than other social media companies and has called the bans "basic misinformation," saying these had been decided with "no deliberation or evidence". 

TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance but it insists it is run independently and does not share data with the Chinese government. It is currently carrying out a project to store US user data in Texas, which it says will put it out of China’s reach.

However, many countries remain cautious about the platform and its ties to China. Western technology companies, including Airbnb, Yahoo, and LinkedIn, have also been leaving China or downsizing operations there because of Beijing's strict privacy law, which specifies how companies can collect and store data.

Here are the countries and regions that have announced or already implemented partial or total bans on the app.

On April 4, Australia banned TikTok from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns.

A notice issued by the Attorney General’s Department said TikTok poses security and privacy risks due to the "extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflicts with Australian law".

Attorney-General Mark