The European Union has opened a formal investigation into the video-sharing platform over possible online content breaches

The Chinese app features micro-series like ‘Never Divorce a Secret Billionaire Heiress’, which consists of 55 two-minute episodes

Jakarta said the ban, which is effective immediately, is intended to protect its offline merchants and marketplaces

TikTok said it disagreed with the decision and the size of the fine – and that it had addressed most of the regulator’s concerns before it launched its probe

The China-owned short video app was used by 20% of 18-to 24-year-olds for news, up five percentage points from last year

Montana, which has a total of about 1.1 million residents, is the first US state to impose a ban on the short-video app, which is due to take effect on January 1, 2024

Short video app TikTok, already under scrutiny across the world, informed the journalist last year that four of its employees had spied on her data to track down leaks

With Australia's ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network have banned the short video app from government devices

"Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans?" US Republican Senator Rand Paul said responding to calls for unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill

While TikTok is not available in China, Chew's hearing was closely watched in the country, with many expressing sympathy for the short video app's chief

The boss of the Chinese video-sharing app goes before a Washington committee on Thursday with the US pushing to ban it over security fears

"If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn't solve the problem," a TikTok spokesperson said, responding to the US threat