A TikTok logo is seen on a mobile device in Mountain View, California, on November 2, 2019 as a photo illustration.
Yichuan Cao | NurPhoto | fake pictures
This week, the Indian government banned dozens of Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, over alleged security concerns.
According to a statement, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology “has decided to block 59 applications as, in light of the available information, they are engaged in activities that are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of the India, state security and public order. “
TikTok, operated by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, allows users to create short videos and overlay voices or music. The app, which topped 2 billion downloads in April, has found a huge market in India, according to Sensor Tower. Approximately 30% of downloads come from India, according to the data analysis firm. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The app has been blocked in the nation before. Last May, the Indian government banned the app’s downloads for two weeks, after a court ruled it could expose children in the app to sexual predators and graphic content. (TikTok appealed and the court reversed its ruling.)
Along with TikTok, the government banned high-profile Chinese apps WeChat, a messaging app, and Weibo, a Chinese social network that is similar to Twitter.
The ban comes amid recent geopolitical tensions with China. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash between Chinese troops earlier this month in a region that has not seen fatal victims of the conflict since 1975. In this confrontation, both countries claimed that the others’ troops had moved and they crossed the border.
Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.
.
