TikTok Returning To India This Week? Read On To Find Out

Government has asked 59 Chinese apps to ensure strict compliance to ban order and warned that continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, is not only illegal but also an offence under the Information Technology Act and other applicable Acts. It is difficult to ascertain if any of these apps will make a comeback but the chances are bleak. The government will review the responses and if the answers are not receptive then the ban may continue for a lifetime.

Youths act in front of a mobile phone camera while making a TikTok video on the terrace of their residence in Hyderabad. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi, July 22: After 59 Chinese apps including the popular video platform TikTok were banned in India there are misleading videos on social media insisting that the video-sharing platform will be back in action. However, the truth is far from the reports floating in social media. Earlier in July, the government had actually sent a notice and a list of 79 questions to these banned apps. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)  has given them three weeks to respond, failing which these apps may be permanently banned in India.  Also Read: Price, Features And Pics Of Kia’s New SUV Sonet That Is Making Its Virtual Debut On August 7, 2020 According to the notice, the Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok , has been asked to reply to the questions about their apps including whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influencers. The questions also include information around their owners, funding and data storage procedure.  In fact the notice has stated that if these banned apps do not respond by July 22, the ban imposed on them may be extended or the ban would continue for a lifetime. It doesn't really mean that the apps will be allowed to function. The order issued on June 29 by the government was an interim order. However, it is difficult to ascertain if any of these apps will make a comeback again as the chances remain bleak.  The government will review the responses and if the answers are not receptive then the ban may also continue for a lifetime. There are so many other apps that have entered into the market but you have to be cautious about the permissions sought by these apps to avoid any security infringement. The owner of TikTok, however, said it was working to respond to the ministry's queries and that it complied with all Indian laws, adding that users' data security and privacy were its top priorities. The app ban has hit the expansion plans of ByteDance in India, where its TikTok video app was immensely popular. Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday directed all these apps to ensure strict compliance to its orders, and warned of serious action in case of any violation, according to a report in the national daily the Hindustan Times. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has written a strongly worded letter to the 59 banned Chinese apps (that includes TikTok) that they must ensure strict compliance of the government order regarding the ban on them. The app operators were told that the ban has been imposed in "exercise of the sovereign powers" and Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. As per the report, the government source told PTI that the IT Ministry has now written to all these companies, warning that continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, is not only illegal but also an offence under the Information Technology Act and other applicable Acts, which would attract penal provisions.