Video sharing app TikTok banned in India

Guwahati, April 17, 2019:

TikTok, which is one of the most popular apps among the youth of the nation, has been removed from the Google Playstore in compliance with a state court’s directive to prohibit its downloads. Meanwhile, Apple has also removed the app from its official store.

The move comes hours after Madras High Court refused a request by China’s Bytedance Technology, which owns the app, to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt.

The Court had earlier asked the Government to ban the app, citing that it encourages pornography content and could make young users vulnerable to sexual predators.

TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticized by many. Meanwhile, the app has been downloaded over 240 million times in India. The company employs 250 people in India.

Google declined to comment on the order. Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.