TikTok – World’s Most Popular Video App Banned (India)
What just happened? TikTok, the popular Chinese video-sharing app that created waves around the world, will no longer be available for download in India.
The Indian Government issued a ban on the popular short video platform TikTok on Tuesday, claiming that it hosted inappropriate content which could be potentially dangerous for impressionable young minds.
Obliging to the Madras High Court Order, Apple and Google blocked downloads of the TikTok app from their respective app stores.
In light of this, hashtag #TikTokBan began to trend on Twitter, which triggered a series of hilarious jokes and memes on social media platforms.
TikTok has swept through the world like wildfire and without a shred of doubt, was one of the most popular apps in India with almost 120 million users.
However, TikTok download has been blocked by Google and Apple; a lot of people welcomed the move and stated it as good riddance.
But clearly, TikTok users were disheartened and weren't going to let this go easily as they have already started looking for a substitute for the world’s most popular video app.
Recent Google search trends illustrate that after the ban was affirmed, Indians desperately explored "how to download TikTok" online.
It is evident from the graph below that "download tiktok app" or “download tiktok” saw an increase on Tuesday.
The ban has been implemented in such a way that prevents the download of the app on all app stores. Therefore, not only Apple and Google but other app stores such as Vivo phones App Store and Mi Apps on Xiaomi phones also removed TikTok from their list.
Despite the exclusion of the TikTok from app stores, the service is still operational and those who have the app installed on their smartphone can continue to use the app.
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Why is TikTok Banned in India?
TikTok has been banned in India after the platform was found to host illicit content related to child pornography. Similarly, the Indian government issued a ban on all pornographic websites and platforms last year for hosting porn-related content.
In a follow up to that, the ban on TikTok has been imposed to prevent the promotion of child-related crimes.
The Madras High Court directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technologies to issue a ban on the TikTok; given that Apple and Google requested to block the downloads of the app from their respective app stores.
Is It Safe to Use TikTok During Ban?
TikTok celebs and followers can still use the video-sharing app and its service as the ban has only been enforced on the app’s distribution.
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TikTok Ban – What’s Next?
The next court hearing is scheduled to take place on April 24 in Madras High Court, Tamil Nadu. TikTok's developer Bytedance will probably come up with new ways to flag illicit content on its platform and could implement as soon as possible if the ban is lifted.
