Complying with Supreme Court (SC) order, Google has removed popular video sharing app TikTok from its app store. After Supreme Court on Monday refused to revoke the ban on TikTok, Indian government had reportedly asked both Google and Apple to disallow TikTok on their respective stores. Although Google has immediately followed the suit, Apple seems to be taking its own sweet time to comply with the SC order. But Apple is also expected to follow the suit in coming days.
Indian government’s crackdown will most certainly hurt TikTok’s commercial prospects in India. India was already among its most promising markets where it currently boosts well over 120 million monthly active users. But TikTok’s parents company Bytedance surely won’t allow such a lucrative market to go away from its hand. Being the world’s most valued startup, Bytedance has the financial muscle and clout to lobby hard with the Indian government.
Responding to SC’s judgment, TikTOK India issued a statement saying that “We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India.”
TikTOK’s Legal Troubles Started Earlier this Year
Legal troubles started mounting for TikTok when earlier this year Tamil Nadu (TN) government raised red flag over app’s alleged adult contents. TN government claimed that the Chinese app’s alleged adult and erotic content was having adverse effect on teenagers and children. However, India’s southern state is not the only one in the fray that accuses the Chinese app of openly promoting controversial content. U.S. and Hong Kong are among the prominent countries that have also raised objections.
However, India is most likely the first country to take a tough legal against the high profile video sharing app. This may add more woes for TikTok if other countries also choose to follow the same path.