Popular social media app Tik Tok leaving Hong Kong after China enacts security law

TikTok said Tuesday it will cease operations in Hong Kong, following China recently enacting a national security law on the semi-autonomous city.

ByteDance, the owners of the the short-form video app, follows similar social media platforms and messaging apps – including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter – raising concerns about having to providing user data to Hong Kong authorities.

China imposed the law follows months of protests in Hong Kong, after China proposed legislation that could have resulted in some suspects facing trial in mainland China courts.

The social media companies say they are assessing implications of the security law, which prohibits what Beijing views as secessionist, subversive or terrorist activities or as foreign intervention in the city’s internal affairs. In the communist-ruled mainland, the foreign social media platforms are blocked by China’s “Great Firewall,” according to the Associated Press. 

TikTok said in a statement that it had decided to halt operations “in light of recent events.”

Hong Kong authorities quickly to implement the law after it took effect on June 30, with police arresting about 370 people, the wire service also reports.