Google blocks TikTok in India, is Pakistan next?

The Indian government has ordered Google and Apple to block the Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok from their respective stores after concerns were raised that people were using it for pornographic purposes and exploiting children.

Meanwhile, India is the largest user base of TikTok having around 120 million monthly active users in the country alone from the app’s total 500 million users worldwide. TikTok is quite popular in India as it has been downloaded over 230 million times in the country.

On April 3, an Indian court in southern Tamil Nadu state asked the federal government to ban TikTok, stating a warning about its potential misuse. Indian IT ministry sent a letter to Apple and Google to block the app.

Upon govt’s request, both Google and Apple have obliged and the TikTok app has been blocked from Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

On the other hand, a TikTok’s representative has denied to comment on app’s removal and told Reuters the company has “faith in the Indian judicial system,” adding that “we are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India.”

The case in Tamil Nadu court was filed by an activist group which said that the app encouraged pedophiles and pornography. TikTok has been continuously drawn into controversy in India as the misuse of the app also led to the loss of lives in the country.

Such concerns about the potential abuse of the platform and other concerns about hateful or pornographic content are also raised by Pakistanis and some of them have also filed complaints on Citizen Portal against the app for promoting unethical content. The authorities forwarded the complaints to PTA and it is likely that the Pakistani government may also ban TikTok.