TikTok will exit Hong Kong amidst controversial national security laws

TikTok will pull out of Hong Kong within days, becoming the latest of several tech companies to react to the region’s controversial new national security laws.

The short-form video app announced its impending withdrawal from Hong Kong on Monday, with the news coming in the wake of new laws brought into effect on June 30. 

“In light of recent events, we’ve decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement provided to Mashable.

Under Hong Kong’s widely condemned new laws, criticising or expressing disapproval for government authorities may be considered a criminal offence. Companies operating within Hong Kong could also be required to censor content, or hand over user data to the Chinese government. That’s exactly what TikTok doesn’t want. Read more…

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