Just at a time when the economy is trying to cope and limp back from the Covid-19 situation, India hits under the belt to ban Tik Tok along with other 58 other China-linked apps with immediate effect from June 29, 2020. This has also come in the wake of the current fragile India-China relations and the Galwan Valley incidents. Today India, can standalone without Chinese imports and this is its message loud and clear to the interfering neighboring country. Tik Tok a video share app had become highly widespread among Indian users. In the recent lockdown times with most people at home, its popularity increased further with many Indians, sharing funny videos on Tik Tok. 119.3 million users of TikTok’s global monthly active users are from India, followed by 39.6 million users from USA and 28.4 million users from Turkey. With Indian government disallowing the usage of these apps both in mobile and non-mobile internet-enabled devices, the Chinese company has lost its major share. Even the other apps like SHAREIt, Shein, ClubFactory will suffer smaller but sure losses disconnecting from India.
TikTok founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance. It was first launched as Douyin in China in 2016 and in 2017 as TikTok for iOS and Android international markets. Today it is available in 150 markets and in 75 languages. The app allows users to create short music and lip-sync videos of 3 to 15 seconds and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds. It merged with Musical.ly in August 2018 and has seen a meteoric rise since. In 2019, media outlets cited Tik Tok as the 7th-most-downloaded mobile app of the decade, from 2010 to 2019. It was also the most-downloaded app on the App Store in 2018 and 2019. Today, Kevin Mayer, CEO of Tik Tok faces the biggest challenge with India banning this app.
The decision to ban Tik Tok is based upon issues like: –
- Concerns from citizens regarding the security of data and risk to privacy relating to operation of the app,
- Morality concerns having displayed pornographic content,
- Predatory behaviour on the app, and
- National security concerns.
The government’s press release states “The Ministry of Information Technology, invoking its 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 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps since in view of information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order,”
Here is a list of the Chinese apps that are banned in India as of June 29, 2020 –
- TikTok
- Shareit
- Kwai
- UC Browser
- Baidu map
- Shein
- Clash of Kings
- DU battery saver
- Helo
- Likee
- YouCam makeup
- Mi Community
- CM Browers
- Virus Cleaner
- APUS Browser
- ROMWE
- Club Factory
- Newsdog
- Beutry Plus
- UC News
- QQ Mail
- Xender
- QQ Music
- QQ Newsfeed
- Bigo Live
- SelfieCity
- Mail Master
- Parallel Space
- Mi Video Call – Xiaomi
- WeSync
- ES File Explorer
- Viva Video – QU Video Inc
- Meitu 36. Vigo Video
- New Video Status
- DU Recorder
- Vault- Hide
- Cache Cleaner DU App studio
- DU Cleaner
- DU Browser
- Hago Play With New Friends
- Cam Scanner
- Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile
- Wonder Camera
- Photo Wonder
- QQ Player
- We Meet
- Sweet Selfie
- Baidu Translate
- Vmate
- QQ International
- QQ Security Center
- QQ Launcher
- U Video
- V fly Status Video
- Mobile Legends
- DU Privacy
India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is set to become an economic and political giant. This unprecedented move to ban 59 Chinese apps is only a page in history. The book on new India is still being written. It time to applaud such a bold move that is beyond ‘Twitter chatter’. It’s time to stand by it.
