Big disappointment for TikTok fans! Govt asks Google, Apple to take down app from Play Store, App Store respectively

Soon after the HC directive, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered both Google and Apple to take down the popular app from its app stores.

By : ABP News Bureau | Updated at : 16 Apr 2019 05:25 PM (IST)

TikTok ban Govt orders Google, Apple to take down app from Play Store and App Store respectively Big disappointment for TikTok fans! Govt asks Google, Apple to take down app from Play Store, App Store respectively

TikTok came in the line of fire for allegedly showing ‘pornographic’ and ‘shady’ content. (Image: Getty)

TikTok has gained a massive userbase of about 0.5 billion users across the world

In India alone, TikTok app has over 120 million users

TikTok is banned for allegedly showing ‘pornographic’ and ‘shady’ content

New Delhi: In a massive disappointment for all those who loved creating, sharing and watching videos on newly famous TikTok mobile app, an interim order has been issued by the Madras High Court directing the Central government to ban the video-sharing app in India. Soon after the HC directive, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered both Google and Apple to take down the popular app from its app stores. TikTok is a widely popular video-sharing app and over the past few months, it has gained a massive userbase of about 0.5 billion users across the world. In India alone, the app has over 120 million users. The bulk of these users are children and teenagers. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and other two justices including Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said that it is keeping the issue open for further adjudication and would consider it on April 22. According to the reports, the video-sharing app came in the line of fire for allegedly showing ‘pornographic’ and ‘shady’ content. “There were over billion downloads of the mobile app and ex-parte orders were passed by the Madurai bench of Madras High Court,” news agency PTI quoted Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi as saying. Singhvi was appearing for Chinese company ByteDance which owns TikTok app. However, the HC directive will not impact the 120 million users in India who have already downloaded the app or even those who might download it from a source outside Google’s official Android play store. However, the app download will no longer be available for Apple users as the iconic smartphone brand does not allow users to download any application from outside sources. Apart from prohibiting downloads, the High Court also directed the regulator to bar media companies from broadcasting any videos — illicit or otherwise — made with or posted on TikTok. The HC had on April 3 directed the Centre to ban mobile application "TikTok" as it voiced concern over the "pornographic and inappropriate content" being made available through such apps. The high court's interim order came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which alleged that the app encouraged paedophiles and the content ‘degraded culture and encouraged pornography’. “Even after the havoc caused by Blue whale online game, which reportedly led to suicides by several people, officials have not learnt that they should be alert to these types of problems,” HC had said.

Published at : 16 Apr 2019 05:20 PM (IST)