Permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok? Here’s what reports say

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly issued fresh notices to make permanent a ban imposed on video app TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in June. Zee News tried reaching the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for a comment but they were unavailable outside regular working hours. A TikTok representative was quoted as saying that the company was evaluating the notice and will respond to it as appropriate.

NEW DELHI: Amid fresh skirmishes with the Chinese troops at Naku La in Sikkim, it has now come to light that the Narendra Modi government is mulling to impose a permanent ban on 59 Chinse Apps, including the highly popular Tik Tok.

According to a Reuters report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued fresh notices to impose a permanent ban on popular video app TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, months after the government imposed the restrictions in June last year.

When it first imposed the ban, the government gave the 59 apps a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements, Reuters said quoting Indian media reports.

The companies, which include ByteDance`s popular video-sharing app TikTok, Tencent Holdings` WeChat and Alibaba`s UC Browser, were also asked to respond to a list of questions.

"The government is not satisfied with the response/explanation given by these companies. Hence, the ban for these 59 apps is permanent now," said media reports.

According to it, the notices were issued last week. The Ministry's June order stated that the apps were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order".

The order, which India referred to as a "digital strike", followed a skirmish with Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border site when 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

In September, India banned another 118 mobile apps, including Tencent`s popular videogame PUBG, as it stepped up the pressure on Chinese technology companies following the standoff at the border. 

A TikTok representative was quoted as saying that the company was evaluating the notice and will respond to it as appropriate. "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," a Tik Tok official said, according to PTI.

Zee News tried reaching the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for a comment but they were unavailable outside regular working hours.