Following China’s new national security law for the city, Google, Facebook and Twitter said they were reviewing the country’s policy. Google, Facebook and Twitter said on Monday that they would temporarily stop processing Hong Kong government requests for user data.
However, TikTok went further than the other companies on Monday, saying it would withdraw its app from stores in Hong Kong and make the app inoperable to the city’s users there within a few days.
The video mobile app is owned by the Chinese giant ByteDance but is not available in mainland China. On Monday, Hong Kong released it’s new policy that enables police to take down internet posts and punish internet companies that do not comply. This rule give the authorities the ability to jail employees at internet companies if the firms do not comply.
Facebook’s statements reads:
“We are pausing the review of government requests for user data from Hong Kong pending further assessment of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with international human rights experts,”
“We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions,”
Meanwhile, Some people in Hong Kong reported being unable to download the TikTok app on Tuesday