The war between the USA and China seems to be going strong, with many apps and social networks withdrawing from big markets like Hong Kong. TikTok was the first to start. The most popular app among young people withdrew as a protest against the national security law imposed on the semi-autonomous region by Beijing.

This move has a significant impact considering that TikTok, which belongs to China-based ByteDance Group, has over 800 million users worldwide (according to DataReportal data as of January).

A company spokesperson stated emphatically: “In view of recent events, we decided to cease operation of the TikTok application in Hong Kong“. The US State Department confirmed this statement, with Secretary Mike Pompeo confirming that the government is considering banning Chinese social networks. The platform was forced in the past to apologize for its ties to China, where a similar application operates under a different name.