New Delhi: Days after banning a number of Chinese apps, the Ministry of Electronics and IT on Saturday night has sent notices to those apps including TikTok and others, making the interim ban on these apps now permanent. The move from the government comes after it reviewed replies of blocked apps.
However, Tiktok has confirmed that it has received a reply in this regard from the Central government.
“We are evaluating the notice and will respond to it as appropriate. TikTok was among the first companies to comply with the Government of India directive issued on June 29, 2020. We continually strive to comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any concerns the government may have. Ensuring the privacy and security of all our users remains to be our topmost priority,” said a TikTok spokesperson to news agency PTI.
Citing threat to the nation security, the Centre had earlier announced an interim ban on many Chinese apps including TikTok to safeguard the interests of millions of Indian mobile and internet users. The Ministry had in June blocked 59 Chinese apps and 118 more apps, including PUBG mobile game, in September.
Notably, the IT Ministry had blocked these apps under section 69A of the Information Technology Act after learning that the apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.
It must be noted that the crackdown from the Centre came amid tensions with China along the border in Eastern Ladakh. Other apps that were banned include, popular multiplayer game PUBG and search engine Baidu.
TikTok had nearly 119 million active users in India and was among the top 10 apps on Google Play store and Apple App store.