Since Friday afternoon, Indian enthusiasts of Tik Tok had been an excited lot. This followed grapevine buzz about a possible lifting of the ban that was imposed on the Chinese vlogging website years ago. The ByteDance-owned Tik Tok was among 59 mobile apps that were slapped with a ban by the Indian administration as the government believed that these apps were ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order’.
The ban had come about on as many as 59 Chinese apps, including Tik Tok, WeChat and more. But then this week, people woke up to rumours stating that Tik Tok is back. The app, which used to be immensely popular in India before the ban, generated interest again as the buzz of a return spread like wildfire.
But then, it was not to be. The unprecedented excitement was nipped in the bud with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology authorities swinging into troubleshooting mode. The government explained in detail that the ban on Tik Tok has not been lifted and it continues to be unavailable. The Google PlayStore and the Apple AppStore do not have the app.
Ban on 59 Chinese apps since 2020
The ban in 2020 had come about following tensions brewing on the Indo-Chinese border. In January 2021, a directive made the ban permanent. The clashes in Galwan valley had pulled India’s relations with China to a new low. The apps were banned based on findings that all 59 of them were engaged in leaking data. The government believed that these apps were found to be diving into data stealing location details and transferring files to servers in China.
The ban had hit close to 200 million Tik Tok lovers in India. These Tik Tok enthusiasts saw a silver lining all of a sudden when rumours flew thick and fast about the app’s return. Many users claimed that they were able to access the app, and hence the talk of a lifting of the ban went viral. Their excitement was, however, short lived as the government clarified there is no move to retract the ban.
Rumour makes fans excited, but not for long
It is possible that the rumour had stemmed from the fact that India and China are warming up towards a cordial relationship of late. Bilateral ties are once again sending positive signals, at a time when the US tariffs are causing concern. Tarde has also resumed via critical border passes. There is also talk of flights set to be restored between the two nations. With such positivity growing, it was only natural that the people thought that the banned apps could return.
However, such an event is not real, for the time being. India’s tryst with Tik Tok had been phenomenal at one point of time, with the user base estimated around 200 million. The love for Tik Tok remains, as is evident from the fact that contenders to the app, such as Chingari and others, failing to generate much interest. Enthusiasts of Tik Tok, however, remain a hopeful lot.
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