FACT CHECK: Has France Banned TikTok?

Anna Mock | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook claims France has officially banned the app TikTok.  

Verdict: False

TikTok has been banned in a French overseas territory called New Caledonia in response to widespread protests, not the entire country itself.

Fact Check:

Protests erupted in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia after France’s Parliament voted to allow certain French residents to vote in provincial elections, which France claims “upholds democracy,” according to Al Jazeera. Many locals, especially those from the Indigenous Kanak community, oppose the reform due to concerns that it may impede the effort to win independence from France, the outlet reported.

A Facebook post claims that TikTok has been officially banned in the entirety of France. The post shared the information with white text on a red background.

“France officially bans TikTok,” the post reads.

The claim is partly false, however. TikTok has only been banned in the French territory of New Caledonia following the recent protests, according to Politico. Although the reasoning was not explained, the decision was made as part of emergency measures also including the deployment of troops and an initial 12-day curfew, the outlet reported. 

Although TikTok is still accessible in France as a whole, it along with other “recreational apps” has been banned from the work phones of civil servants, according to Euronews. (RELATED: Facebook Post Falsely Claims Tiktok Is Banned, App Can Only Be Used For 6 Months)

Check Your Fact reached out to spokespeople for TikTok and the Embassy of France in the United States for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.

Anna Mock

Fact Check Reporter

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