TikTok Pulls Out of Hong Kong Over National Security Law

Facebook and Telegram have also said they will no longer cooperate with government requests for user data

Social video app TikTok will pull out of app marketplaces in Hong Kong due to a new national security law, which threatens free expression in the semiautonomous region.

“In light of recent events, we’ve decided to stop operations of the TikTok app in Hong Kong,” TikTok spokesperson Laura Perez said in an email.

The new law, passed by Beijing legislators last week, criminalizes “subversion” of the Chinese government, such as calling for Hong Kong independence. It also prohibits the sharing of “state secrets,” a vague clause that could be used against citizens, journalists and potentially the platforms that host such speech.

On Monday, Hong Kong introduced new rules that “give the police powers to take down internet posts and punish internet companies that do not comply with data requests,” The New York Times reported.

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