On Monday, June 29, the Indian government banned 59 apps that Chinese firms have developed, including TikTok. This is a new regulation over concerns that the apps threaten the "national security and defense" of the country, and "impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity" of the nation, Tech Crunch has reported.
The two of the most economically advanced countries are also currently in a standoff, and this rule may just be among the many measures from the Indian government targetted against China.
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TikTok banned by India
On Monday, Indian authorities said that it is banning these apps that are developed by the Chinese, and these include ByteDance's TikTok, which has a larger market in India and the rest of the world.
TikTok is available in more than 150 markets worldwide and in 39 different languages. Latest statistics reveal that there is an estimated 500 million TikTok users in the world--most of whom are young teens.
Aside from TikTok, it is also banning video call and community apps from Xiaomi, the leading smartphone provider in the South Asian nation; UC News and UC Browser from Alibaba Group, Shareit, Club Factory, CM Browser, and ES File Explorer.
Club Factory is India's third-largest e-Commerce firm, the report said.
First time
This is the first time that India has ordered to prohibit several apps, both from local and foreign markets. With nearly half of its population at 1.3 billion utilizing digital media, it is presently the world's second-largest internet market.
The government, particularly the country's Computer Emergency Response Team, has received several reports on privacy breaches and data security from its citizens.
They said, "The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India."
The impact of the decision is heavy. Counterpoint research firm analyst Tarun Pathak said that it will impact approximately one in three smartphone users in the country. Aside from TikTok, UC Browser and Club Factory have more than 500 million active users monthly.
Of these 59 applications, 27 are among the Top 1,000 Android apps in India over the previous month, the mobile insights firm revealed.
What does the ban mean?
It is not clear what the ban means and how the mobile operating system and internet providers are expected to adhere to. As of press time, the apps are still available for download both from Apple's App Store and Google Play Store.
Google has issued a statement and has said that it has yet to receive the directive from New Delhi, but is reviewing the order. They also said it always complies with these application removal requests.
TikTok has requested to appeal the decision, but it has been tough in doing so. They are saying that they will continue to adhere to the qualifications on ensuring data privacy and preventing breaches.
Also Read: Report: TikTok App Blocks You When You're Ugly, Fat, or Too Political?
