The Tik Tok logo (Toutiao/Wikimedia Commons)Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok has been removed from the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store after the Modi government on Monday (29 June) banned 59 Chinese apps in India for engaging in activities which "are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order", ANI has reported.
The government's decision to ban the Chinese apps comes amid the ongoing tensions between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
The banned Chinese apps include Tik Tok, Share It, UC Browser, Mi Community, Baidu map, Helo and We Chat among others.
The ban was imposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) by invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009.
The ministry said that there have been raging concerns on aspects relating to data security and safeguarding the privacy of 130 crore Indians. It has been noted recently that such concerns also pose a threat to sovereignty and security of our country.
It added that these apps were surreptitiously transmitting Indian users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.
"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the ministry said.
"Upon receiving credible inputs that such apps pose threat to sovereignty and integrity of India, the Government of India has decided to disallow the usage of certain Apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet enabled devices," it added.
This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users, it said adding that the decision was a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.
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