After the false reports in Media over the weeks of banning Chinese based apps, the Ministry of Information and Technology has officially released a statement banning 59 apps in India over concerns of privacy issues. They said that they were a threat to India’s security and society as a whole. The Ministry issued a notice to Apple and Google, requesting them to remove these 59 apps from their respective app stores in India because it violates the policy of the action of storing user information. The Government has requested help from ISP’s and Telecomm operators for the proper execution of the plan. The most famous and controversial app on the list was the renowned app Tiktok which was immediately removed from Playstore. Users who had already installed this app can continue to do so for some time without any upgrades or security tweaks. Many other apps on the list like Shareit can be continued to download until the process is completed for removing them from the stores. The Government said they did so in public interest using the power of section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Rules 2009. MEITY said it was done given the imminent threat that these applications pose and the natural threats to India’s sovereignty and integrity, defense of India, the security of the state and public order. Although one could argue these apps, we banned because of the ongoing tension on the India-China border and the rise of Anti-China sentiments in the Nation. Indian Government banned apps like ShareIt, UC Browser, Shein, Club Factory, Clash of Kings, Helo, Mi Community, CamScanner, ES File Explorer, VMate, and many more.
Tiktok India head Nikitha Gandhi said they are in constant discussion with the Government to discuss how to proceed and submit clarification. She assured the public that the company complies with all the Indian privacy standards, and user’s privacy is the most important attribute for them. They claim they have never shared any information of the users with any foreign national or Government, including the Chinese Government. She said that the company would never do so even if the Chinese Government asked them to share information. She said that the app provided ways of income and supported many livelihoods across the country and would have adverse effects once it is finalized. The app has been previously banned but always came back on the market. Though this time it seems it will be a bit longer than the usual time.
Meanwhile, Tiktok Creators have taken to their account to share their Instagram, and Youtube handles so that their followers can connect and stay updated. They say that Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t help them get enough to reach a limit to their audience. Shortly after the ban was made public, Tiktok influencers did live videos. They shared their social media accounts so that the public can continue to watch their videos even in the absence of TikTok.
