TikTok, the popular video app, has been removed from the Google Play Store in India after the Madras High Court refused to suspend the ban levied on the app.
On Tuesday, Bytedance Technology – the company behind the TikTok app – requested the high court to remove the ban on the app but the court refused and ordered Google and Apple to remove the app from their respective app stores.
Now, the app has been taken down from the Google Play Store, while iOS users can still download the popular app from the Apple App Store.
The state court sought a ban on the app saying that it encourages pornography and exposes minors to inappropriate content. In addition to ordering Google and Apple to make the app unavailable for downloading, the court also ordered media houses to stop telecasting videos made using the TikTok app.
The bench hearing the case said: “It is evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate contents are made available in this kind of cyber applications. The children are exposed to strangers and there is a possibility of the photographs, and other private details of the children are being landed in the hands of predators or third parties,”
TikTok app has become a craze in India with more than 54 million monthly active users in the country.
While the app is now not available to download on the Google Play Store, existing users can still use it. After Google, pressure is mounting on Apple to take down the app from the App Store.
Do you support the high court’s decision to get the app removed or do you think that India is turning into China by enforcing censorship?
Tell us in the comments below.
