After India's decision to temporarily ban TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, the country has finally decided to permanently block the short-video platform in the country, along with 58 other apps.
TikTok, Other Chinese Apps, Banned in India
According to the Times of India, other apps that were banned in the country were WeChat, Baidu, BIGO Live, Mi Video Call from Xiaomi, Alibaba's UC Browser, and the shopping app called Club Factory, alongside a few more others.
Last year, the country has made an unprecedented move against a total of 267 apps, including the aforementioned ones, last June 2020.
The action was made against these Chinese apps under India's Section 69A of its IT Act, which accuses said applications of "engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of [the] state and public order."
It can be recalled last year that TikTok has faced major issues in various places around the world, including in the United States, for questions surrounding its data collection, data processing methods, and the safety and security of its users' details.
It was the same reason why the apps have been banned in India.
IT Ministry is Dissatisfied With Companies' Responses
Following the initial decision, the IT Ministry has served notice to the apps there were blocked, asking for details regarding their operations in the country, their data collection, their subscribers, and how their process the information they gather, among other things.
Moreover, they were questioned about their alleged "unauthorized data access" as well as having weaker security features that could lead to hacking and surveillance of their users.
But after several months, Indian officials in the IT Ministry have expressed their dissatisfaction with the responses of the companies to the queries they have raised, which led to their decision for the permanent ban.
According to the news outlet, the permanent ban notices were served individually to the companies involved last week.
Xiaomi and TikTok Responds
A Xiaomi spokesperson has commented on the issue, saying, "Mi India is in compliance with all government orders and will continue to do so and engage with the relevant stakeholders for the same."
Meanwhile, TikTok has also spoken about the permanent ban issued to them, saying that they are currently evaluating the notice sent out by the Indian government and will "respond to it as appropriate."
The TikTok spokesperson further said that they were among the first companies that complied to the directive sent out by the government on June 29, 2020.
"We continually strive to comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any concerns the government may have. Ensuring the privacy and security of all our users remains to be our topmost priority," the TikTok representative concluded, as per Business Today.
It appears that popular game "PUBG Mobile," and other apps like ShareIt, Alibaba Workbench, AliSupplier, CamCard, and Lalamove India were among the apps that were served notice.
In related news, the Italian government has also ordered TikTok to block its underage users after a viral trend on the platform has taken the life of a young 10-year-old girl.
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Written by: Nhx Tingson
