Central Government Asks Google, Apple to Drop Tik Tok App from Their StoresWeb & Apps

April 16, 2019 15:33
Central Government Asks Google, Apple to Drop Tik Tok App from Their Stores

(Image source from: slate.com)

The central government has reportedly asked Apple and Google to drop the Chinese video-sharing application from their app stores.

The report has come days after the Supreme Court refused to stay Madras High Court’s order imposing a ban on TikTok app.

On April 3, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to ban TikTok app, voicing concern over “pornographic and inappropriate content” being made available through the application.

The court had also barred media houses from publishing videos made using the application, observing that children are being exposed to inappropriate content including pornography through the app.

The Madras High Court’s ex-parte order was challenged in the Supreme Court by Chinese company ByteDance. However, the apex court refused to interfere saying that ban directive was just an interim order and the high court is scheduled to hear the matter on April 16.

The bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Sanjiv Khanna, and Deepak Gupta said that it is keeping the issue open for further adjudication and would consider it on April 22.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Chinese company ByteDance, said there were over billion downloads of the mobile app and ex-parte orders were passed by the Madurai bench of Madras High Court.

He said the court did not even issue a notice in the matter and an order was passed without hearing them. The bench said the high court is already seized of the matter and the ban order was just an interim order.

Reacting to the top court's refusal to stay the high court's order, TikTok said: "We have faith in the Indian Judicial system and the stipulations afforded to social media platforms by the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011...We have been stepping up efforts to take down objectionable content."

The Chinese app allows users to create and share short videos with special effects and has over 54 million monthly active users in India.

Recently a 19-year-old man was allegedly shot dead by his friend as they posed with a pistol to make a video on mobile app TikTok. In another incident, three college students tripling on a motorbike while recording their ride met with an accident in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur leading to their death.

Galore youngsters in India have uploaded videos on TikTok, which politicians said were breaking law and order. The politicians also believe that the trend is life-threatening similar to the blue whale and further claimed that even lewd acts take place on it.

By Sowmya Sangam

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technology  tik tok  google  apple