Google and Apple removes TikTok from App Stores in India

Google and Apple has removed the Chinese video app Tiktok from their App Stores, a day after Indian Government urged the companies to do so. 

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) requested the companies to block the app after the  state court ordered to ban access of the app as questions regarding its usage were raised. It was noted that people were using it for pornographic purposes and exploiting children.

According to  analytics firm Sensor Tower, TikTok had the highest number of users in India, and 75% of them were women. It has been downloaded more than 230 million times. 

However, a TikTok representative said that he “faith in the Indian judicial system.” The company hopes that they would be able to lift the ban and would come stronger than before, “We are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India.”

The app has already banned in Bangladesh and had faced largest ever fine in the United States for illegaly collecting informations on children. 

TikTok users in India who had previously downloaded the app on their phones were still able to use the service on Wednesday.

TikTok's official statement: ’’At TikTok, we have faith in the Indian Judicial system and the stipulations afforded to social media platforms by the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011. We are committed to continuously enhancing our existing measures and introducing additional technical and moderation processes as part of our ongoing commitment to our users in India.’’

‘’In line with this, we have been stepping up efforts to take down objectionable content. To date, we have removed over 6 million videos that violated our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, following an exhaustive review of content generated by our users in India."

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