NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The social media app TikTok distanced itself from Beijing after India banned 59 Chinese apps in the country, according to correspondence seen by Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: File photo of the TikTok logo on a mobile phone screen in this image taken on February 21, 2019. REUTERS / Danish Siddiqui
In a letter to the Indian government dated June 28 and seen by Reuters on Friday, TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer said the Chinese government never asked for user data, nor that the company would release it if requested.
TikTok, which is not available in China, is owned by China’s ByteDance, but has tried to distance itself from its Chinese roots to attract a global audience. Along with 58 other Chinese apps, including WeChat from Tencent Holdings Ltd and UC browser from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, it was banned in India this week following a border clash with China.
“I can confirm that the Chinese government never asked us for TikTok data from Indian users,” Mayer wrote, adding that the data from Indian users is stored on servers in Singapore. “If we ever receive such a request in the future, we would not comply.”
The letter was sent ahead of a likely meeting next week between the company and the government, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
An Indian government source told Reuters this week that the ban is unlikely to be lifted soon. Lawyers have said a legal challenge is unlikely to succeed, as India has cited national security concerns over the ban.
The ban, which upset India’s growing legion of TikTok stars, has also given a boost to local rivals like Roposo, which added 22 million new users within 48 hours of the ban’s entry into force.
TikTok is committed to spending $ 1 billion in the region. Since its launch in 2017, it has become one of the fastest growing social media apps. India is its largest market per user, followed by the United States.
In the letter, Mayer played the company’s investment in the region, highlighting more than 3,500 direct and indirect employees and content available in 14 languages.
“The privacy of our users, and the security and sovereignty of India, are of utmost importance to us,” Mayer wrote. “We have already announced our plans to build a data center in India.”
The correspondence was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and other media.
Report from Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Written by Kenneth Li; Editing by Dan Grebler
.
