In late June of 2020, the popular app TikTok was removed from the App Store and Google Play Store in India. This came after a directive issued by the Indian Government citing security concerns as the reason for the move. The app had been gaining tremendous popularity and had over 200 million users in India alone.
The security concerns raised by the government related to data-sharing between users and with Chinese servers. The Chinese company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, collects user data and shares it with servers located in China. This was seen as a threat to national security by many in India, who felt that this data could be used for malicious purposes.
The government also expressed concern about inappropriate content being shared on the app, which it said was inappropriate for young people. It noted that such content could have a negative impact on Indian values and culture.
In addition to removing TikTok from its stores, the government has also issued a notice to Apple and Google asking them to remove all Chinese apps from their stores. This move has been met with both approval and criticism from various quarters.
Conclusion:
The removal of TikTok from Indian stores was prompted by security concerns related to user data being shared with Chinese servers. There were also fears that inappropriate content shared on the app could have a negative impact on Indian values and culture. The government’s move has been met with both approval and criticism from various quarters.