The Indian alternative to TikTok, Chingari, has crossed over 3 million downloads.&nbsp;

The app, founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, allows users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content and browse through the feed.&nbsp;

Biswatma Nayak&nbsp;said, "In the last few days, we have witnessed a 400 per cent growth in the subscribers of the app." 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-bans-59-chinese-apps-including-tiktok-shareit-uc-browser-citing-national-security-309464">Also Read: India bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, Shareit citing national security</a>

The app also rewards the users on the basis of how viral the video becomes. Chingari app can be downloaded through Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The app is available in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/why-tiktok-is-a-threat-to-national-security-if-left-unchecked-300976">Also Read: Why TikTok is a threat to national security</a>

In the midst of ongoing tension at Sino-Indian border after a standoff with Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the government of India on Monday took an unprecedented step and decided to ban at least 59 Chinese apps. 
 
"This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," announced Ministry of Electronics and IT. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The Indian alternative to TikTok, Chingari, has crossed over 3 million downloads. The app, founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, allows users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content and browse through the feed.

The Indian alternative to TikTok, Chingari, has crossed over 3 million downloads. The app, founded by Bengaluru-based programmers Biswatma Nayak and Siddharth Gautam last year, allows users to download and upload videos, chat with friends, interact with new people, share content and browse through the feed. Biswatma Nayak said, "In the last few days, we have witnessed a 400 per cent growth in the subscribers of the app." Also Read: India bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, Shareit citing national security The app also rewards the users on the basis of how viral the video becomes. Chingari app can be downloaded through Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app is available in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. Also Read: Why TikTok is a threat to national security In the midst of ongoing tension at Sino-Indian border after a standoff with Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, the government of India on Monday took an unprecedented step and decided to ban at least 59 Chinese apps. "This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," announced Ministry of Electronics and IT. (With inputs from agencies)

TikTok's Indian alternative Chingari app crosses over 3 million downloads

China's foreign ministry said today it was "strongly concerned" over India's ban on Chinese apps.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/tik-tok-removed-from-apples-app-store-and-google-play-after-govts-ban-309558">Also Read:&nbsp;Tik Tok removed from Apple's App store and Google Play after govt's ban</a>

"We are verifying the development regarding the ban," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"China is strongly concerned by the notice served by the Indian government," it said, adding, "the Chinese government always asks Chinese businessmen to abide by international law and regulations in their business cooperation."

"The Indian government has the responsibility to follow the legal rights of international investors including Chinese, the pattern is not in the interest of Indians too," China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Watch:

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The Indian government had on Monday&nbsp;banned 59 Chinese apps amid the India-China standoff at Galwan Valley.

"This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," India's ministry of electronics and IT had said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/india-officially-bans-chinese-apps-including-tiktok-here-are-the-top-10-309486">In Pics: India officially bans Chinese apps including TikTok - Here are the top 10!</a>

"In view of the emergent nature of threats, we have decided to block 59 apps since in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order," the government order said.

The apps which were banned included UC Browser, Tik Tok, SHAREit, Baidu map, Shein, clash of Kings, DU battery saver, Helo, Likee, YouCam makeup, Mi Community, CM Browsers, Virus Cleaner, Apus Browser among others.

Meanwhile, Tik Tok which has a huge following in India said: "TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government."

China's foreign ministry said today it was "strongly concerned" over India's ban on Chinese apps. Also Read: Tik Tok removed from Apple's App store and Google Play after govt's ban "We are verifying the development regarding the ban," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

China's foreign ministry said today it was "strongly concerned" over India's ban on Chinese apps. Also Read: Tik Tok removed from Apple's App store and Google Play after govt's ban "We are verifying the development regarding the ban," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. "China is strongly concerned by the notice served by the Indian government," it said, adding, "the Chinese government always asks Chinese businessmen to abide by international law and regulations in their business cooperation." "The Indian government has the responsibility to follow the legal rights of international investors including Chinese, the pattern is not in the interest of Indians too," China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. Watch: The Indian government had on Monday banned 59 Chinese apps amid the India-China standoff at Galwan Valley. "This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," India's ministry of electronics and IT had said. In Pics: India officially bans Chinese apps including TikTok - Here are the top 10! "In view of the emergent nature of threats, we have decided to block 59 apps since in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order," the government order said. The apps which were banned included UC Browser, Tik Tok, SHAREit, Baidu map, Shein, clash of Kings, DU battery saver, Helo, Likee, YouCam makeup, Mi Community, CM Browsers, Virus Cleaner, Apus Browser among others. Meanwhile, Tik Tok which has a huge following in India said: "TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government."

Strongly concerned over India's ban on Chinese apps: China

TikTok has been spreading like digital wildfire in India and abroad, and so is obscenity and hatred on the app. Filth is so normal&nbsp;on the Chinese app that it trends and nothing is being done about it.

Most TikTok users are impressionable children and teenagers, TikTok's rules say the minimum user age is 13 but a huge number of children below the required age are still signing up for the app and TikTok is doing nothing to stop it.

Most governments too have conveniently ignored the reality in the name of "entertainment". However, the United States could be showing the way. Fourteen members of the US House of Representatives are demanding a probe into TikTok's "blatant disregard" of children's privacy with 14 members being Democrats.

They have written to the US federal trade commission regarding it. They have said that the app is collecting children's information without parental consent and that it has failed to take down videos made by children under the age of 13.

They said it is in violation of children's online privacy protection act which Americans call Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).

Since the concerns are serious, WION sought some clarity from TikTok itself, we sent a mail to their office in India and raised some questions on the lines of the letter sent by the US lawmakers.

WION's first question&nbsp;was: TikTok users can side-step age verification through other social media platforms, what are Tiktok's policies to prevent this from happening? A child who doesn't have a TikTok account can easily get one by logging in through other safer social media platforms, how is this allowed?...

TikTok has notoriously been called a magnet for pedophiles even as thousands still lurk in its shadows. Predatory adults can freely message children on the app.

WION's question number two was: Do harmful trends like the hashtag skull breaker challenge not put the lives of children at risk? A challenge that often results in individuals slamming on the back of their head onto the ground. It once sent a 12-year-old child to the hospital, the absurd challenges and trends that emerge on the&nbsp;app aren't always fun.

Kids are not going to think about the outcome, they could be at risk of attempting something life-threatening. These concerns exist on almost all social media platforms but the interface of TikTok&nbsp;makes it easy for anyone and everyone to put out content.

It is mostly purely based on music and videos, it encourages people to let go of their inhibitions and it encourages themes that are mature in content. The result mostly is profanity and suggestive videos. It is a dangerous trend, TikTok must be regulated, if not banned.

Also watch

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&nbsp;

TikTok has been spreading like digital wildfire in India and abroad, and so is obscenity and hatred on the app. Filth is so normal on the Chinese app that it trends and nothing is being done about it.

TikTok has been spreading like digital wildfire in India and abroad, and so is obscenity and hatred on the app. Filth is so normal on the Chinese app that it trends and nothing is being done about it. Most TikTok users are impressionable children and teenagers, TikTok's rules say the minimum user age is 13 but a huge number of children below the required age are still signing up for the app and TikTok is doing nothing to stop it. Most governments too have conveniently ignored the reality in the name of "entertainment". However, the United States could be showing the way. Fourteen members of the US House of Representatives are demanding a probe into TikTok's "blatant disregard" of children's privacy with 14 members being Democrats. They have written to the US federal trade commission regarding it. They have said that the app is collecting children's information without parental consent and that it has failed to take down videos made by children under the age of 13. They said it is in violation of children's online privacy protection act which Americans call Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). Since the concerns are serious, WION sought some clarity from TikTok itself, we sent a mail to their office in India and raised some questions on the lines of the letter sent by the US lawmakers. WION's first question was: TikTok users can side-step age verification through other social media platforms, what are Tiktok's policies to prevent this from happening? A child who doesn't have a TikTok account can easily get one by logging in through other safer social media platforms, how is this allowed?... TikTok has notoriously been called a magnet for pedophiles even as thousands still lurk in its shadows. Predatory adults can freely message children on the app. WION's question number two was: Do harmful trends like the hashtag skull breaker challenge not put the lives of children at risk? A challenge that often results in individuals slamming on the back of their head onto the ground. It once sent a 12-year-old child to the hospital, the absurd challenges and trends that emerge on the app aren't always fun. Kids are not going to think about the outcome, they could be at risk of attempting something life-threatening. These concerns exist on almost all social media platforms but the interface of TikTok makes it easy for anyone and everyone to put out content. It is mostly purely based on music and videos, it encourages people to let go of their inhibitions and it encourages themes that are mature in content. The result mostly is profanity and suggestive videos. It is a dangerous trend, TikTok must be regulated, if not banned. Also watch ×

Is TikTok safe for children? WION seeks clarification from Chinese app makers in India

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence. Complaints before National Commission for Women have been filed, and letters have been written to the central government highlighting that the application is not suitable for the youth and that TikTok is deliberately not censoring content deemed against the interests of the Indian society. &nbsp;

This problem is more profound than it seems as the company behind TikTok, ByteDance has earlier been accused of censoring social media content related to Tibet, Dalai Lama and the Hongkong protests thereby acting as a mouthpiece of China Communist Party (‘CCP’). Due to the fears of espionage and data theft, US senators have moved a bill seeking to ban federal employees from using the application altogether. The connection between Chinese corporations and the Chinese Communist Party is not hidden, and it is a well-known fact that Chinese corporations do the bidding for the Chinese Communist Party overseas to advance its interests and protect its ‘Face’ by censoring content deemed unfavourable and against the ‘One China’ Policy’. &nbsp; 
 
<img alt="Tiktok" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8d2f03f6-8a76-4093-bb94-1ea0f34da373" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Wion%20Infrographic%20TikTok.png" />&nbsp;

This incident highlights many lacunas existing in our current regulatory framework ranging from the protection of user data to the risk and susceptibility of the government officials, agencies, and corporations against data theft by China. Further, it showcases how an application can be used in future to harm national interests as a means of ‘social warfare’. Due to this, the central government needs to understand that TikTok is a national threat if left unchecked. Furthermore, this incident emphasizes the need for data localisation and data protection laws that protect data sovereignty and privacy. Data has been termed as the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and moving forward regulating and safeguarding data is going to be one of the major challenges that regulators will face ranging from its impact on the economy, international affairs and the security of its citizens. &nbsp;

The Reserve Bank of India in 2018 had issued a directive to companies for storing financial system-related information in India in sectors ranging from insurance, healthcare to e-commerce, thereby mandating data localization in some form. Still, this does not cover or stop social media platforms per se to engage in cross-border transfer of personal data. On December 11 2019, the Personal Protection Bill 2019 was tabled before the parliament by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (‘MietY’) which called for restrictions on cross-border transfer of personal data, the problem with the current bill is that it only restricts the flow of “sensitive personal data” abroad. This is problematic as this does not stop adversaries from transferring personal data not considered sensitive and make a citizen database out of such collected information. Even though the majority of the companies won’t go down this path, the current TikTok incident highlights serious issues existing in our current framework, which can be seen as a threat to national security later on. This warning does not come in isolation as US officials and experts have pointed out that China by conducting a series of hacks, the most recent one being Equifax is building a massive database of American personal information through which it wants to exploit the vulnerabilities of the US.&nbsp; &nbsp;

These incidents call for serious deliberations between the Indian regulators and governmental agencies to understand the depth and seriousness of this problem. Wars in future are going to be fought over the internet where the foundations of digital economies are being laid down, and sadly India is notoriously behind the technological curve in all aspects. Not to mention that most of the government websites are not even SSL encrypted, which is an essential requirement these days.&nbsp;

The Indian legislators and regulators need to create appropriate safeguards that restrict the flow of information that can be used in future as espionage against Indian assets. Further, the Indian government needs to create infrastructure which monitors the transfer of data overseas in realtime. This is easier said than done, but the Indian workforce and industry experts have the technical prowess to implement such tranches that protect data sovereignty and modernize data governance. Going forward if TikTok wants to operate in India, it needs to function as an independent body, separate from the supervision and control of its Chinese counterpart or it would find it challenging to navigate the regulatory waters in India. Majority of the TikTok users are Indian, and a ban on the social media application would severely cut and limit the prospects of the company. This will impact its revenue and future valuation, a nightmare for ByteDance to say the least. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence.

TikTok is facing a public relations crisis after its ratings dropped from 4.3 to 1.3 in a matter of a few days when Indian citizens took over Twitter and Youtube to highlight several problematic social media contents being circulated on the video-sharing platform ranging from animal abuse, rape, acid attack to justifying terrorism and promoting communal violence. Complaints before National Commission for Women have been filed, and letters have been written to the central government highlighting that the application is not suitable for the youth and that TikTok is deliberately not censoring content deemed against the interests of the Indian society. This problem is more profound than it seems as the company behind TikTok, ByteDance has earlier been accused of censoring social media content related to Tibet, Dalai Lama and the Hongkong protests thereby acting as a mouthpiece of China Communist Party (‘CCP’). Due to the fears of espionage and data theft, US senators have moved a bill seeking to ban federal employees from using the application altogether. The connection between Chinese corporations and the Chinese Communist Party is not hidden, and it is a well-known fact that Chinese corporations do the bidding for the Chinese Communist Party overseas to advance its interests and protect its ‘Face’ by censoring content deemed unfavourable and against the ‘One China’ Policy’. This incident highlights many lacunas existing in our current regulatory framework ranging from the protection of user data to the risk and susceptibility of the government officials, agencies, and corporations against data theft by China. Further, it showcases how an application can be used in future to harm national interests as a means of ‘social warfare’. Due to this, the central government needs to understand that TikTok is a national threat if left unchecked. Furthermore, this incident emphasizes the need for data localisation and data protection laws that protect data sovereignty and privacy. Data has been termed as the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and moving forward regulating and safeguarding data is going to be one of the major challenges that regulators will face ranging from its impact on the economy, international affairs and the security of its citizens. The Reserve Bank of India in 2018 had issued a directive to companies for storing financial system-related information in India in sectors ranging from insurance, healthcare to e-commerce, thereby mandating data localization in some form. Still, this does not cover or stop social media platforms per se to engage in cross-border transfer of personal data. On December 11 2019, the Personal Protection Bill 2019 was tabled before the parliament by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (‘MietY’) which called for restrictions on cross-border transfer of personal data, the problem with the current bill is that it only restricts the flow of “sensitive personal data” abroad. This is problematic as this does not stop adversaries from transferring personal data not considered sensitive and make a citizen database out of such collected information. Even though the majority of the companies won’t go down this path, the current TikTok incident highlights serious issues existing in our current framework, which can be seen as a threat to national security later on. This warning does not come in isolation as US officials and experts have pointed out that China by conducting a series of hacks, the most recent one being Equifax is building a massive database of American personal information through which it wants to exploit the vulnerabilities of the US. These incidents call for serious deliberations between the Indian regulators and governmental agencies to understand the depth and seriousness of this problem. Wars in future are going to be fought over the internet where the foundations of digital economies are being laid down, and sadly India is notoriously behind the technological curve in all aspects. Not to mention that most of the government websites are not even SSL encrypted, which is an essential requirement these days. The Indian legislators and regulators need to create appropriate safeguards that restrict the flow of information that can be used in future as espionage against Indian assets. Further, the Indian government needs to create infrastructure which monitors the transfer of data overseas in realtime. This is easier said than done, but the Indian workforce and industry experts have the technical prowess to implement such tranches that protect data sovereignty and modernize data governance. Going forward if TikTok wants to operate in India, it needs to function as an independent body, separate from the supervision and control of its Chinese counterpart or it would find it challenging to navigate the regulatory waters in India. Majority of the TikTok users are Indian, and a ban on the social media application would severely cut and limit the prospects of the company. This will impact its revenue and future valuation, a nightmare for ByteDance to say the least. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Why TikTok is a threat to national security if left unchecked

As the world practices social distancing, people en masse have taken to various online platforms to keep themselves engaged during lockdown. One such hike has benefitted Chinese company TikTok.&nbsp;

But in a recent turn of events, TikTok India has been receiving flak for some people have been promoting ill advised messages. One such case is that of TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui who cam under scanner for one of his videos. In the video, he is seen allegedly promoting acid attack on women by recreating a disturbing scene.&nbsp;

He is heard saying: "Usna tumhe chor diya jiska liya tumna Mujhe chora that".&nbsp;

Soon after his video went viral, a Twitter user filed a police complaint against the messaging in his video. The person tweeted: "I have filed complaint, Faizal Siddiqui, for the TikTok video promoting acid attack towards our women. This type of action shouldn't be promoted and strict action should be taken @Rajput_Ramesh @MODIfiedVikas @indiantweeter @TajinderBagga".

The Twitter page of National Commission for Women (NCW) has also tweeted, "@NCWIndia have contacted Tik-Tok India @TikTok_IN to remove the video &amp; delete the account of #FaizalSiddiqui that instigate committing violence against women."

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<a href="https://twitter.com/NCWIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCWIndia</a> have contacted Tik-Tok India <a href="https://twitter.com/TikTok_IN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TikTok_IN</a> to remove the video &amp; delete the account of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FaizalSiddiqui?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FaizalSiddiqui</a> that instigate committing violence against women. <a href="https://t.co/1QMHpUgQs8">pic.twitter.com/1QMHpUgQs8</a>
— NCW (@NCWIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCWIndia/status/1262270459141390338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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The letter reads: "The Commission is seriously concerned about the increase in crimes against women. The video not only seems to promote violence against women but shows the patriarchal mindset which would send a very wrong message to the society. In view of the above, it is requested that the reported TikTok video be removed and the person’s id be blocked.”

Ban on TikTok has also been gaining momentum since the news.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, TikTok has issued a statement on the issue and said: "Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and we make it clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines that clearly outlines what is not acceptable on our platform. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks safety of others, promotes physical harm or glorifies violence against women. &nbsp;The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate."

As the world practices social distancing, people en masse have taken to various online platforms to keep themselves engaged during lockdown. One such hike has benefitted Chinese company TikTok.

As the world practices social distancing, people en masse have taken to various online platforms to keep themselves engaged during lockdown. One such hike has benefitted Chinese company TikTok. But in a recent turn of events, TikTok India has been receiving flak for some people have been promoting ill advised messages. One such case is that of TikTok user Faizal Siddiqui who cam under scanner for one of his videos. In the video, he is seen allegedly promoting acid attack on women by recreating a disturbing scene. He is heard saying: "Usna tumhe chor diya jiska liya tumna Mujhe chora that". Soon after his video went viral, a Twitter user filed a police complaint against the messaging in his video. The person tweeted: "I have filed complaint, Faizal Siddiqui, for the TikTok video promoting acid attack towards our women. This type of action shouldn't be promoted and strict action should be taken @Rajput_Ramesh @MODIfiedVikas @indiantweeter @TajinderBagga". The Twitter page of National Commission for Women (NCW) has also tweeted, "@NCWIndia have contacted Tik-Tok India @TikTok_IN to remove the video & delete the account of #FaizalSiddiqui that instigate committing violence against women." @NCWIndia have contacted Tik-Tok India @TikTok_IN to remove the video & delete the account of #FaizalSiddiqui that instigate committing violence against women. pic.twitter.com/1QMHpUgQs8 — NCW (@NCWIndia) May 18, 2020 × The letter reads: "The Commission is seriously concerned about the increase in crimes against women. The video not only seems to promote violence against women but shows the patriarchal mindset which would send a very wrong message to the society. In view of the above, it is requested that the reported TikTok video be removed and the person’s id be blocked.” Ban on TikTok has also been gaining momentum since the news. Meanwhile, TikTok has issued a statement on the issue and said: "Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and we make it clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines that clearly outlines what is not acceptable on our platform. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks safety of others, promotes physical harm or glorifies violence against women. The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate."

Ban TikTok trends as NCW demands removal of video that promotes violence against women

Memes, music, dance routines, and make-up tutorials. Tiktok is not an entertainment platform. 
&nbsp; 
It is a propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party. Tiktok has told its moderators to censor content against the Chinese government, for example,&nbsp;those mentioning the Dalai Lama or Tibet. 
&nbsp; 
The email was reportedly sent to Tiktok's team in India. The target was Indian content although we cannot independently verify&nbsp;the authenticity of the email.

TikTok is owned by Bytedance. It is a Chinese tech company headquartered in Beijing.

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E-mail done by TikTok to their India employees for removing anything which is against Chinese Government, especially Tibet and Dalai Lama! 
 
Is this your way China to curb the Freedom of Speech across the globe? <a href="https://t.co/6ujBAcRogd">pic.twitter.com/6ujBAcRogd</a>
— Zankrut Oza (@zankrut) <a href="https://twitter.com/zankrut/status/1261545706533289984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In 2018, Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming made a pledge to the Chinese government. Zhang promised to ensure party “voices are broadcast to strength.”

"Further deepening cooperation with authoritative [official party] media, elevating distribution of authoritative media content, ensuring that authoritative [official party] media voices are broadcast to strength, " Zhang said.

Over the last 2 years, TikTok has been adhering to the&nbsp;pledge. It has systematically removed anti-China content from its platform.

There is growing global support for Taiwan right now, it is not surprising that TikTok wants to do away with the very mention of Taiwan or Tibet and the Dalai Lama.&nbsp;

TikTok has previously asked its censors to moderate a range of videos.&nbsp;

Those mentioning Tiananmen Square or Tibetian independence or banned religious group - Falun Gong and&nbsp;videos mentioning Hong Kong protests were taken down. As were those talking about the plight of Uighur Muslims.

Community guidelines are on its website but without any specifics. Despite guidelines against violent content, TikTok is filled with animal abuse content.

TikTok is like a hidden medicine in a dog's food bowl. There are tons of fun videos and that makes it impossible to realise that it may also be part of Chinese propaganda.

Tiktok is an undercover Chinese foreign policy tool. If authentic, the&nbsp;email spells global information war. Banning TikTok would be India's best reply to the thread.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-guidelines-for-content-that-goes-against-china-tiktok-to-wion-299931">Also read | TikTok's clarification to Wion's story</a>

Memes, music, dance routines, and make-up tutorials. Tiktok is not an entertainment platform. It is a propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party. Tiktok has told its moderators to censor content against the Chinese government, for example, those mentioning the Dalai Lama or Tibet.

Memes, music, dance routines, and make-up tutorials. Tiktok is not an entertainment platform. It is a propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party. Tiktok has told its moderators to censor content against the Chinese government, for example, those mentioning the Dalai Lama or Tibet. The email was reportedly sent to Tiktok's team in India. The target was Indian content although we cannot independently verify the authenticity of the email. TikTok is owned by Bytedance. It is a Chinese tech company headquartered in Beijing. E-mail done by TikTok to their India employees for removing anything which is against Chinese Government, especially Tibet and Dalai Lama! Is this your way China to curb the Freedom of Speech across the globe? pic.twitter.com/6ujBAcRogd — Zankrut Oza (@zankrut) May 16, 2020 × In 2018, Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming made a pledge to the Chinese government. Zhang promised to ensure party “voices are broadcast to strength.” "Further deepening cooperation with authoritative [official party] media, elevating distribution of authoritative media content, ensuring that authoritative [official party] media voices are broadcast to strength, " Zhang said. Over the last 2 years, TikTok has been adhering to the pledge. It has systematically removed anti-China content from its platform. There is growing global support for Taiwan right now, it is not surprising that TikTok wants to do away with the very mention of Taiwan or Tibet and the Dalai Lama. TikTok has previously asked its censors to moderate a range of videos. Those mentioning Tiananmen Square or Tibetian independence or banned religious group - Falun Gong and videos mentioning Hong Kong protests were taken down. As were those talking about the plight of Uighur Muslims. Community guidelines are on its website but without any specifics. Despite guidelines against violent content, TikTok is filled with animal abuse content. TikTok is like a hidden medicine in a dog's food bowl. There are tons of fun videos and that makes it impossible to realise that it may also be part of Chinese propaganda. Tiktok is an undercover Chinese foreign policy tool. If authentic, the email spells global information war. Banning TikTok would be India's best reply to the thread. Also read | TikTok's clarification to Wion's story

TikTok: An entertainment platform or Chinese propaganda company?

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes.

Moderators were also told to censor political speech in TikTok live streams, punishing those who harmed ''national honour''&nbsp;or broadcast streams about ''state organs such as police''&nbsp;with bans from the platform, according&nbsp;to&nbsp;new documents published by The Intercept.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-senators-move-bill-to-ban-federal-employees-from-using-tiktok-285930">US Senators move bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok</a>

The documents exposed that the moderators were told that videos were to be removed from the feed if “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated”, since ''this kind of environment is less fancy and aesthetically unappealing''.

These previously unreported Chinese policy documents provide new details about the company's efforts to enforce rigid constraints across its users while it simultaneously attempts to bolster its image as a global paragon of self-expression creativity.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiktok-accused-in-california-lawsuit-of-sending-user-data-to-china-265867">TikTok accused of sending user data to China in California lawsuit</a>

A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to&nbsp;a report from December&nbsp;that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users’ videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour.&nbsp;

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based tech unicorn Bytedance.

Other documents published by The Intercept show the extent of TikTok’s former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas.

The site published the company’s live streaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down ''controversial content''&nbsp;that promotes the independence of Taiwan.

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes.

The Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is pressurizing moderators to suppress videos from users deemed too ugly, poor or disabled, as part of the company’s efforts to curate an aspirational air in the videos it promotes. Moderators were also told to censor political speech in TikTok live streams, punishing those who harmed ''national honour'' or broadcast streams about ''state organs such as police'' with bans from the platform, according to new documents published by The Intercept. Also read: US Senators move bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok The documents exposed that the moderators were told that videos were to be removed from the feed if “the shooting environment is shabby and dilapidated”, since ''this kind of environment is less fancy and aesthetically unappealing''. These previously unreported Chinese policy documents provide new details about the company's efforts to enforce rigid constraints across its users while it simultaneously attempts to bolster its image as a global paragon of self-expression creativity. Also read: TikTok accused of sending user data to China in California lawsuit A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to a report from December that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users’ videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based tech unicorn Bytedance. Other documents published by The Intercept show the extent of TikTok’s former rules requiring moderators to enforce Chinese foreign policy overseas. The site published the company’s live streaming policies, which instruct moderators to take down ''controversial content'' that promotes the independence of Taiwan.

TikTok coercing moderators to 'filter out videos from ugly, poor or disabled users'

Two US Republican Senators Josh Hawley and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-lawmakers-propose-ban-on-tiktok-citing-chinese-government-ties-284355">Rick Scott</a> introduced a bill to ban federal employees from using&nbsp;Chinese social media app TikTok citing "security risk".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/tiktok-received-more-numbers-than-facebook-ever-did-sheryl-sandberg-283417">Also Read: TikTok received more numbers than Facebook ever did, says Sheryl Sandberg</a>

"TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Chinese Communist Party members on its board, and it is required by law to share user data with Beijing," Senator Hawley said, adding," as many of our federal agencies have already recognized, TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices."

Last week during a Senate hearing, US officials including the FBI, US&nbsp;Justice Department and Homeland Security had said that the Chinese app could become a tool to be exploited by Chinese intelligence services.

A California college student had earlier accused the video-sharing app of transferring private user data to servers in China in a lawsuit. According to the filing, the app had allegedly transferred user data to two servers in China bugly.qq.com, and umeng.com in April 2019.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-hiring-german-hospital-uses-tiktok-to-recruit-new-talent-267276">Also Read: Now hiring! German hospital uses TikTok to recruit new talent</a>&nbsp;

According to reports, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had opened a national security review of TikTok. The US government believes the app is being used as a tool of espionage.

In November last year, the US government had launched a national security review of TikTok owner ByteDance Technology's $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly.

As the Senators set the US bill in motion, TikTok said it was opening a "Transparency Center" at the company's Los Angeles office in a bid to boost transparency.

"This new facility in our LA office will provide outside experts with an opportunity to directly view how our teams at TikTok go about the day-to-day challenging, but critically important, work of moderating content on the platform," the company said in a statement.

"The Transparency Center will open in early May with an initial focus on TikTok's content moderation. Later, we will expand the centre to include insight into our source code, and our efforts around data privacy and security," it added.

Two US Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Rick Scott introduced a bill to ban federal employees from using Chinese social media app TikTok citing "security risk".

Two US Republican Senators Josh Hawley and Rick Scott introduced a bill to ban federal employees from using Chinese social media app TikTok citing "security risk". Also Read: TikTok received more numbers than Facebook ever did, says Sheryl Sandberg "TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Chinese Communist Party members on its board, and it is required by law to share user data with Beijing," Senator Hawley said, adding," as many of our federal agencies have already recognized, TikTok is a major security risk to the United States, and it has no place on government devices." Last week during a Senate hearing, US officials including the FBI, US Justice Department and Homeland Security had said that the Chinese app could become a tool to be exploited by Chinese intelligence services. A California college student had earlier accused the video-sharing app of transferring private user data to servers in China in a lawsuit. According to the filing, the app had allegedly transferred user data to two servers in China bugly.qq.com, and umeng.com in April 2019. Also Read: Now hiring! German hospital uses TikTok to recruit new talent According to reports, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had opened a national security review of TikTok. The US government believes the app is being used as a tool of espionage. In November last year, the US government had launched a national security review of TikTok owner ByteDance Technology's $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly. As the Senators set the US bill in motion, TikTok said it was opening a "Transparency Center" at the company's Los Angeles office in a bid to boost transparency. "This new facility in our LA office will provide outside experts with an opportunity to directly view how our teams at TikTok go about the day-to-day challenging, but critically important, work of moderating content on the platform," the company said in a statement. "The Transparency Center will open in early May with an initial focus on TikTok's content moderation. Later, we will expand the centre to include insight into our source code, and our efforts around data privacy and security," it added.

US Senators move bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok

In a TikTok video with the hashtag #awesomekiss, viral teen star Charli D'Amelio uses an eos Products lipbalm before kissing the screen and transforming into a dancing, costumed Santa in an ad for her 12 million followers.

Just over a year after TikTok officially launched US&nbsp;brand partnerships, major brands are tapping influencers on the social video app for holiday campaigns.

The Chinese-owned app, which has come under scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and regulators over concerns around its data handling and content moderation, has made a push to attract U.S. advertisers. It is testing a biddable option for certain ads, piloting in-app shopping features and has shown up at marketing events such as Cannes Lions Festival. In September, it launched a test "creator marketplace," a service which matches up brands and influencers.

"I think if we do a good job surfacing creators and brands to one another then that's winning for us," said Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's U.S. general manager, in a phone interview.

Reuters spoke to several marketing heads and agencies who worked on recent TikTok campaigns for cosmetic companies eos, NARS Cosmetics, e.l.f Cosmetics, whose 'Eyes. Lips. Face.' campaign recently scored more than 4 billion TikTok views, and Estée Lauder-owned MAC Cosmetics, which spends about 75% of its media budget on digital and influencer marketing.

They saw TikTok, which is owned by tech giant Beijing ByteDance Technology Co, as a cost-effective way to raise brand awareness with younger audiences.

TikTok's sponsored "hashtag challenges," where high-profile influencers begin video trends, are one of the main ways for companies to advertise on the app.

To improve brands' experiences on the app, the cosmetic companies and agencies said TikTok would need to improve analytics and introduce more in-app shopping features.

Facebook-owned Instagram has stepped up its e-commerce game this year, trialing features that let U.S. users shop from the app and let some creators tag products in posts.

TikTok is testing e-commerce features, such as adding shoppable product links to videos.

"We went into it (the holiday campaign) very much knowing that commerce and revenue coming through TikTok wouldn't be the goal," said Soyoung Kang, chief marketing officer at eos, which spends under 10% of its marketing budget on TikTok. "The goal was specifically to engage with a platform that's just growing like wildfire."

Not all brands are convinced. Social marketing agencies cited client concerns ranging from whether TikTokers' DIY musical content suited prestige brands to uncertainty over how to track returns on their investment.

"We know there's a lot we could be doing in terms of providing third-party data and beefing up on some of those industry metrics," said TikTok's Pappas, who previously worked with creators at YouTube, the video-streaming site of Alphabet-owned Google.

A demo version of TikTok's relatively small online creator marketplace, seen by Reuters, showed that brands can search for influencers by attributes such as reach or by details about their audience, including region, age and gender. Brands can invite influencers to talk and then go off-platform to manage contract negotiations.

Instagram last week announced it would allow some U.S. creators to use Facebook's "Brand Collabs Manager" tool, to source deals and automatically share analytics.

TikTok advertisers also told Reuters they were monitoring headlines about the app. The U.S. government has launched a national security review of its owner ByteDance's $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media platform Musical.ly.

TikTok has said that it moderates content independently from China and stores no U.S. user data there.

"If there is any information that comes to light that we feel doesn't reflect the values that we want to espouse then we would re-evaluate where we would want to spend our money," said eos's chief marketing officer Kang.

In a TikTok video with the hashtag #awesomekiss, viral teen star Charli D'Amelio uses an eos Products lipbalm before kissing the screen and transforming into a dancing, costumed Santa in an ad for her 12 million followers.

In a TikTok video with the hashtag #awesomekiss, viral teen star Charli D'Amelio uses an eos Products lipbalm before kissing the screen and transforming into a dancing, costumed Santa in an ad for her 12 million followers. Just over a year after TikTok officially launched US brand partnerships, major brands are tapping influencers on the social video app for holiday campaigns. The Chinese-owned app, which has come under scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and regulators over concerns around its data handling and content moderation, has made a push to attract U.S. advertisers. It is testing a biddable option for certain ads, piloting in-app shopping features and has shown up at marketing events such as Cannes Lions Festival. In September, it launched a test "creator marketplace," a service which matches up brands and influencers. "I think if we do a good job surfacing creators and brands to one another then that's winning for us," said Vanessa Pappas, TikTok's U.S. general manager, in a phone interview. Reuters spoke to several marketing heads and agencies who worked on recent TikTok campaigns for cosmetic companies eos, NARS Cosmetics, e.l.f Cosmetics, whose 'Eyes. Lips. Face.' campaign recently scored more than 4 billion TikTok views, and Estée Lauder-owned MAC Cosmetics, which spends about 75% of its media budget on digital and influencer marketing. They saw TikTok, which is owned by tech giant Beijing ByteDance Technology Co, as a cost-effective way to raise brand awareness with younger audiences. TikTok's sponsored "hashtag challenges," where high-profile influencers begin video trends, are one of the main ways for companies to advertise on the app. To improve brands' experiences on the app, the cosmetic companies and agencies said TikTok would need to improve analytics and introduce more in-app shopping features. Facebook-owned Instagram has stepped up its e-commerce game this year, trialing features that let U.S. users shop from the app and let some creators tag products in posts. TikTok is testing e-commerce features, such as adding shoppable product links to videos. "We went into it (the holiday campaign) very much knowing that commerce and revenue coming through TikTok wouldn't be the goal," said Soyoung Kang, chief marketing officer at eos, which spends under 10% of its marketing budget on TikTok. "The goal was specifically to engage with a platform that's just growing like wildfire." Not all brands are convinced. Social marketing agencies cited client concerns ranging from whether TikTokers' DIY musical content suited prestige brands to uncertainty over how to track returns on their investment. "We know there's a lot we could be doing in terms of providing third-party data and beefing up on some of those industry metrics," said TikTok's Pappas, who previously worked with creators at YouTube, the video-streaming site of Alphabet-owned Google. A demo version of TikTok's relatively small online creator marketplace, seen by Reuters, showed that brands can search for influencers by attributes such as reach or by details about their audience, including region, age and gender. Brands can invite influencers to talk and then go off-platform to manage contract negotiations. Instagram last week announced it would allow some U.S. creators to use Facebook's "Brand Collabs Manager" tool, to source deals and automatically share analytics. TikTok advertisers also told Reuters they were monitoring headlines about the app. The U.S. government has launched a national security review of its owner ByteDance's $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media platform Musical.ly. TikTok has said that it moderates content independently from China and stores no U.S. user data there. "If there is any information that comes to light that we feel doesn't reflect the values that we want to espouse then we would re-evaluate where we would want to spend our money," said eos's chief marketing officer Kang.

Beauty brands tap TikTok influencers for holiday campaigns

Social media can be used for just about anything and the same is proved by a German hospital who has a heavy presence online and has its staff post <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiktok-apologises-to-us-teen-for-removing-viral-eyelash-curling-video-264983">TikTok videos</a> to recruit new trainees and personnel.&nbsp;

Klinikum Dortmund, a municipal hospital in Germany Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, has doctors and health practitioners who switch roles when they are seen busy lip-syncing and dancing to some of the iconic tunes - like the BeeGees chartbusting number 'Stayin Alive'.

The health practitioners even use medical tools as props while they shoot entertaining videos and post on TikTok to woo new talent.&nbsp;

Social media has become the primary and the only recruiting tool for the hospital. Who would want to spend large amount of money in putting up billboard advertisements or printing flyers when social media can solve the purpose, right?

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<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="700" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/6695383402499017989" width="340"></iframe></div>
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According to reports, the hospital's communication head learned about TikTok videos at a conference in New York and thought of this novel idea to attract new talent. The move almost always does the trick, luring applicants who learn about the hospital's online popularity and come in to seek employment.&nbsp;

TikTok, a video-sharing social networking application, has been making the headlines for its use to share video content by its users across the globe.&nbsp;

Just recently, it was in the news as after a US teen's TikTok video condemning Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang went viral.&nbsp;

In a post that has over 1.5 million views, Feroza Aziz talks about eyelash curling but quickly switches to decrying China's mass detention of ethnic Uighurs and other minorities in its far northwest.

Aziz claimed that she had been blocked from posting on the app for a month after uploading the clip and noted on Twitter that her video had been taken down.

Social media can be used for just about anything and the same is proved by a German hospital who has a heavy presence online and has its staff post TikTok videos to recruit new trainees and personnel.

Social media can be used for just about anything and the same is proved by a German hospital who has a heavy presence online and has its staff post TikTok videos to recruit new trainees and personnel. Klinikum Dortmund, a municipal hospital in Germany Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, has doctors and health practitioners who switch roles when they are seen busy lip-syncing and dancing to some of the iconic tunes - like the BeeGees chartbusting number 'Stayin Alive'. The health practitioners even use medical tools as props while they shoot entertaining videos and post on TikTok to woo new talent. Social media has become the primary and the only recruiting tool for the hospital. Who would want to spend large amount of money in putting up billboard advertisements or printing flyers when social media can solve the purpose, right? × According to reports, the hospital's communication head learned about TikTok videos at a conference in New York and thought of this novel idea to attract new talent. The move almost always does the trick, luring applicants who learn about the hospital's online popularity and come in to seek employment. TikTok, a video-sharing social networking application, has been making the headlines for its use to share video content by its users across the globe. Just recently, it was in the news as after a US teen's TikTok video condemning Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang went viral. In a post that has over 1.5 million views, Feroza Aziz talks about eyelash curling but quickly switches to decrying China's mass detention of ethnic Uighurs and other minorities in its far northwest. Aziz claimed that she had been blocked from posting on the app for a month after uploading the clip and noted on Twitter that her video had been taken down.

Now hiring! German hospital uses TikTok to recruit new talent 

Chinese-owned app <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/social-media-app-tiktok-removes-islamic-state-propaganda-videos-257458">TikTok </a>has admitted it briefly removed a viral video that condemned Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang and apologised to the US teen who posted the clip.

In a post that has now been seen 1.6 million times, Feroza Aziz begins talking about eyelash curling but quickly switches to decrying China's mass detention of ethnic Uighurs and other minorities in its far northwest.

Aziz said this week that she had been blocked from posting on the app for a month after uploading the clip, then noted on Twitter on Wednesday that the video had been taken down.

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UPDATE: tik tok has issued a public apology and gave me my account back. Do I believe they took it away because of a unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No. <a href="https://t.co/ehUpSJiyy1">pic.twitter.com/ehUpSJiyy1</a>
— feroza.x (@x_feroza) <a href="https://twitter.com/x_feroza/status/1199829366341062656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As her posts on various platforms racked up millions of combined views, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/exclusive-us-opens-national-security-investigation-into-tiktok-sources-259364">TikTok</a>, which has previously been accused of censoring content that Beijing does not like, insisted it had not blocked her and that her videos were still available.

But on Wednesday the company admitted having temporarily removed the video "due to a human moderation error".

The company said the video was restored around 50 minutes later after "a senior member of our moderation team identified the error and reinstated it immediately."

"It's important to clarify that nothing in our Community Guidelines precludes content such as this video, and it should not have been removed," the statement said.

"We would like to apologize to the user for the error on our part."

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Here is a trick to getting longer lashes! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tiktok?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tiktok</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/muslim?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#muslim</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/muslimmemes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#muslimmemes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/islam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#islam</a> <a href="https://t.co/r0JR0HrXbm">pic.twitter.com/r0JR0HrXbm</a>
— feroza.x (@x_feroza) <a href="https://twitter.com/x_feroza/status/1198912945801043969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across the fractious region of Xinjiang.

China, after initially denying the camps existed, now describes them as vocational schools aimed at dampening the allure of Islamist extremism and violence through education and job training.

TikTok said they have also unblocked a previous account owned by Aziz that was barred for a video featuring Osama bin Laden, which it said breached rules on posted imagery related to terrorist organisations, even if "intended as satire".

On Wednesday the group said it had "decided to override the device ban in this case."

Aziz, who describes herself as "17 Just a Muslim", said she was not convinced that the account being blocked was not related to her Xinjiang video.

"Do I believe they took it away because of a unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No," she wrote on Twitter.

Chinese-owned app TikTok has admitted it briefly removed a viral video that condemned Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang and apologised to the US teen who posted the clip.

Chinese-owned app TikTok has admitted it briefly removed a viral video that condemned Beijing's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang and apologised to the US teen who posted the clip. In a post that has now been seen 1.6 million times, Feroza Aziz begins talking about eyelash curling but quickly switches to decrying China's mass detention of ethnic Uighurs and other minorities in its far northwest. Aziz said this week that she had been blocked from posting on the app for a month after uploading the clip, then noted on Twitter on Wednesday that the video had been taken down. UPDATE: tik tok has issued a public apology and gave me my account back. Do I believe they took it away because of a unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No. pic.twitter.com/ehUpSJiyy1 — feroza.x (@x_feroza) November 27, 2019 × As her posts on various platforms racked up millions of combined views, TikTok, which has previously been accused of censoring content that Beijing does not like, insisted it had not blocked her and that her videos were still available. But on Wednesday the company admitted having temporarily removed the video "due to a human moderation error". The company said the video was restored around 50 minutes later after "a senior member of our moderation team identified the error and reinstated it immediately." "It's important to clarify that nothing in our Community Guidelines precludes content such as this video, and it should not have been removed," the statement said. "We would like to apologize to the user for the error on our part." Here is a trick to getting longer lashes! #tiktok #muslim #muslimmemes #islam pic.twitter.com/r0JR0HrXbm — feroza.x (@x_feroza) November 25, 2019 × Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across the fractious region of Xinjiang. China, after initially denying the camps existed, now describes them as vocational schools aimed at dampening the allure of Islamist extremism and violence through education and job training. TikTok said they have also unblocked a previous account owned by Aziz that was barred for a video featuring Osama bin Laden, which it said breached rules on posted imagery related to terrorist organisations, even if "intended as satire". On Wednesday the group said it had "decided to override the device ban in this case." Aziz, who describes herself as "17 Just a Muslim", said she was not convinced that the account being blocked was not related to her Xinjiang video. "Do I believe they took it away because of a unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No," she wrote on Twitter.

TikTok apologises to US teen for removing viral eyelash curling video

The US government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co's $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.

The US government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co's $1 billion acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly, according to three people familiar with the matter. While the $1 billion acquisition was completed two years ago, US lawmakers have been calling in recent weeks for a national security probe into TikTok, concerned the Chinese company may be censoring politically sensitive content, and raising questions about how it stores personal data. TikTok has been growing more popular among US teenagers at a time of growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology transfers. About 60% of TikTok's 26.5 million monthly active users in the United States are between the ages of 16 and 24, the company said this year. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks, has started to review the Musical.ly deal, the sources said. TikTok did not seek clearance from CFIUS when it acquired Musical.ly, they added, which gives the U.S. security panel scope to investigate it now. CFIUS is in talks with TikTok about measures it could take to avoid divesting the Musical.ly assets it acquired, the sources said. Details of those talks, referred to by CFIUS as mitigation, could not be learned. The specific concerns that CFIUS has could also not be learned. The sources requested anonymity because CFIUS reviews are confidential. "While we cannot comment on ongoing regulatory processes, TikTok has made clear that we have no higher priority than earning the trust of users and regulators in the U.S. Part of that effort includes working with Congress and we are committed to doing so," a TikTok spokesperson said. ByteDance did not immediately reply to a request for comment. "By law, information filed with CFIUS may not be disclosed by CFIUS to the public," said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department, which chairs CFIUS. She added that Treasury "does not comment on information relating to specific CFIUS cases, including whether or not certain parties have filed notices for review." Last week, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Tom Cotton asked for a national security probe in a letter to Joseph Macguire, acting director of national intelligence. They said they were concerned about the video-sharing platform's collection of user data, and whether China censors content seen by US users. They also suggested TikTok could be targeted by foreign influence campaigns. On Friday, Schumer welcomed news of the probe in an emailed statement, calling it a "validation of our concern that apps like TikTok...may pose serious risks to millions of Americans and deserve greater scrutiny." TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. The company has said U.S. user data is stored in the United States, but the senators noted that ByteDance is governed by Chinese laws. TikTok also says China does not have jurisdiction over content of the app, which does not operate in China and is not influenced by any foreign government. Last month, Musical.ly founder Alex Zhu, who heads the TikTok team, started to report directly to ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming, one of the sources said. He previously reported to Zhang Nan, the head of ByteDance's Douyin, a Chinese short video app. It was not clear whether this move, which separates TikTok organisationally from ByteDance's other holdings, was related to the company's discussions with CFIUS over mitigation. In October, U.S. senator Marco Rubio asked CFIUS to review ByteDance's acquisition of Musical.ly. He cited questions about why TikTok had "only had a few videos of the Hong Kong protests that have been dominating international headlines for months." After the Reuters story of the CFIUS investigation appeared, Rubio tweeted: "Any platform owned by a company in China which collects massive amounts of data on Americans is a potential serious threat to our country." US. Senator Josh Hawley said in a tweet that TikTok should testify at a hearing scheduled next week about technology companies putting consumer data at risk in China. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose product competes with TikTok particularly for younger users, has also criticized the app over censorship concerns. The United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd said in May it would seek to sell its popular gay dating app Grindr after CFIUS approached it with national security concerns. Last year, CFIUS forced China's Ant Financial to scrap plans to buy MoneyGram International Inc over concerns about the safety of data that could identify US citizens. The panel also compelled Oceanwide Holdings and Genworth Financial Inc to work through a US third party data administrator to ensure the Chinese company could not access the insurer's US customers' personal private data. Bytedance's rice ByteDance is one of China's fastest growing startups. It owns the country's leading news aggregator, Jinri Toutiao, as well as TikTok, which has attracted celebrities like Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. ByteDance counts Japanese technology giant SoftBank, venture firm Sequoia Capital and big private-equity firms such as KKR, General Atlantic and Hillhouse Capital Group as backers. Analysts have called ByteDance a strong threat to other Chinese tech industry firms including social media and gaming giant Tencent Holdings Ltd and search engine leader Baidu Inc. Globally, ByteDance's apps have 1.5 billion monthly active users and 700 million daily active users, the company said in July. The seven-year-old Chinese start-up posted a better-than-expected revenue for the first half of 2019 at over $7 billion, and was valued at $78 billion late last year, sources have told Reuters.

US opens national security investigation into TikTok: Sources

Clad in a bright yellow saree, recording a video of herself to share with her countess social media followers - this is how TikTok star Sonali Phogat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Adampur, set out to file nomination for the assembly polls.

Her celebrity status on the video app catapulted her into an election candidate for the ruling party. Phogat on Friday asserted that she will win, despite being fielded against Congress strongman Kuldeep Bishnoi - third time sitting legislator from the seat and son of three-time Haryana chief minister, late Bhajan Lal.

"My party, BJP, gives me the strength and the backing needed. I do not have to be dependent on anyone else. I have been connected with the party for the past 12 years and that is why I have been given the ticket from Adampur," she told reporters.

Enroute filing nominations, Phogat said that the support of the party leaders and her fans will ensure her win.

"Today I am going to file nomination papers for my candidature from the Adampur seat, our Lok Sabha MP Vijendra Choudhary, UP Minister Choudary Bhupinder Singh and district chief, along with the former candidate from the Adampur Vidhan Sabha seat, the voters from my region and my fans will come in large numbers to support me," Phogat said.

It remains to be seen whether the social media star will be able to reap benefits for the BJP in the Jat-dominated Adampur seat.

Elections for the 90 member Assembly seat of Haryana will be conducted on October 21, along with Maharashtra, and the results will be declared on October 24.

Clad in a bright yellow saree, recording a video of herself to share with her countess social media followers - this is how TikTok star Sonali Phogat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Adampur, set out to file nomination for the assembly polls.

Clad in a bright yellow saree, recording a video of herself to share with her countess social media followers - this is how TikTok star Sonali Phogat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Adampur, set out to file nomination for the assembly polls. Her celebrity status on the video app catapulted her into an election candidate for the ruling party. Phogat on Friday asserted that she will win, despite being fielded against Congress strongman Kuldeep Bishnoi - third time sitting legislator from the seat and son of three-time Haryana chief minister, late Bhajan Lal. "My party, BJP, gives me the strength and the backing needed. I do not have to be dependent on anyone else. I have been connected with the party for the past 12 years and that is why I have been given the ticket from Adampur," she told reporters. Enroute filing nominations, Phogat said that the support of the party leaders and her fans will ensure her win. "Today I am going to file nomination papers for my candidature from the Adampur seat, our Lok Sabha MP Vijendra Choudhary, UP Minister Choudary Bhupinder Singh and district chief, along with the former candidate from the Adampur Vidhan Sabha seat, the voters from my region and my fans will come in large numbers to support me," Phogat said. It remains to be seen whether the social media star will be able to reap benefits for the BJP in the Jat-dominated Adampur seat. Elections for the 90 member Assembly seat of Haryana will be conducted on October 21, along with Maharashtra, and the results will be declared on October 24.

BJP fields TikTok star Sonali Phogat for upcoming Haryana polls

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down the plea filed by the Chinese video app TikTok seeking transfer of cases relating to ban on it from the Madras High Court to the top court.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We are not inclined to entertain this transfer petition. The Madras High Court can very well address all the issues."

Earlier, the apex court had directed the Madras High Court to decide on April 24 the plea of TikTok seeking interim relief of lifting the ban imposed by it.

On April 24, the Madras HC had lifted its ban on the social media App with the condition that it will not host obscene content.&nbsp;

The HC had imposed ban on the App on April 3 after the Centre claimed that it carried content which "encouraged pornography and degraded culture."

"Minors are also being exposed to strangers through this app," the HC had said. The court had said it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile applications.

It's ruling came after advocate and social activist Muthu Kumar&nbsp;filed public interest litigation calling for a ban. The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order.

The TokTok app is owned by Chinese-based Bytedance that claims to have over 50 million active users in India. TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down the plea filed by the Chinese video app TikTok seeking transfer of cases relating to ban on it from the Madras High Court to the top court.

The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down the plea filed by the Chinese video app TikTok seeking transfer of cases relating to ban on it from the Madras High Court to the top court. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We are not inclined to entertain this transfer petition. The Madras High Court can very well address all the issues." Earlier, the apex court had directed the Madras High Court to decide on April 24 the plea of TikTok seeking interim relief of lifting the ban imposed by it. On April 24, the Madras HC had lifted its ban on the social media App with the condition that it will not host obscene content. The HC had imposed ban on the App on April 3 after the Centre claimed that it carried content which "encouraged pornography and degraded culture." "Minors are also being exposed to strangers through this app," the HC had said. The court had said it was evident from media reports that pornography and inappropriate content were made available through such mobile applications. It's ruling came after advocate and social activist Muthu Kumar filed public interest litigation calling for a ban. The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order. The TokTok app is owned by Chinese-based Bytedance that claims to have over 50 million active users in India. TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. (With inputs from agencies)

Supreme Court rejects TikTok's plea seeking transfer of cases relating to ban from Madras high court

Anitha, a 24-year-old woman from Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu committed suicide after being scolded for spending too much time on video sharing mobile application TikTok. She filmed her suicide on the app as she consumed pesticide and left behind a statement asking her husband to take care of their two kids.

The TokTok app is owned by Chinese-based Bytedance that claims to have over 50 million active users in India. The app allows users to create and ashore short videos with special effects and is popular across the globe.

Anitha hailed from Senthurai in Perambalur district and was married to Palanivel; the couple has a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Palanivel who was in the agricultural trade moved to Singapore a few years ago for work.

Anitha was introduced to TikTok via her friend. Family members alleged that she was neglecting the family and kids due to her addiction to the video sharing app.

When her addiction went beyond a point the family informed her husband who later called and tried reasoning with her. But it is said that Anitha refused to let go of the app and her activity on it.

The family members say that the couple's daughter got hurt once while playing as Anitha was busy using TikTok.

When family members informed her husband of the incident, Anitha's husband yelled at him over the phone. The argument reached a point where Palanivel reportedly said he would destroy her phone.

Upset over her husband's scolding, Anitha consumed pesticide while recording the entire act on TikTok. The shocking video has been doing the rounds on social media and instant messaging applications.

She was rushed to Ariyalur General Hospital and later to a private hospital in Trichy, but she died without responding to treatment.

TikTok had faced the wrath of the Madras High Court earlier this year when advocate and social activist Muthu Kumar filed a plea to ban the app for providing access to pornographic content and potential of exposing children and young users to sexual predators.

On April 3, the Madras High Court asked the Centre to ban the application, but the interim ban was lifted on April 24 subject to certain conditions.

Anitha, a 24-year-old woman from Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu committed suicide after being scolded for spending too much time on video sharing mobile application TikTok.

Anitha, a 24-year-old woman from Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu committed suicide after being scolded for spending too much time on video sharing mobile application TikTok. She filmed her suicide on the app as she consumed pesticide and left behind a statement asking her husband to take care of their two kids. The TokTok app is owned by Chinese-based Bytedance that claims to have over 50 million active users in India. The app allows users to create and ashore short videos with special effects and is popular across the globe. Anitha hailed from Senthurai in Perambalur district and was married to Palanivel; the couple has a four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Palanivel who was in the agricultural trade moved to Singapore a few years ago for work. Anitha was introduced to TikTok via her friend. Family members alleged that she was neglecting the family and kids due to her addiction to the video sharing app. When her addiction went beyond a point the family informed her husband who later called and tried reasoning with her. But it is said that Anitha refused to let go of the app and her activity on it. The family members say that the couple's daughter got hurt once while playing as Anitha was busy using TikTok. When family members informed her husband of the incident, Anitha's husband yelled at him over the phone. The argument reached a point where Palanivel reportedly said he would destroy her phone. Upset over her husband's scolding, Anitha consumed pesticide while recording the entire act on TikTok. The shocking video has been doing the rounds on social media and instant messaging applications. She was rushed to Ariyalur General Hospital and later to a private hospital in Trichy, but she died without responding to treatment. TikTok had faced the wrath of the Madras High Court earlier this year when advocate and social activist Muthu Kumar filed a plea to ban the app for providing access to pornographic content and potential of exposing children and young users to sexual predators. On April 3, the Madras High Court asked the Centre to ban the application, but the interim ban was lifted on April 24 subject to certain conditions.

Asked to stop using TikTok, Tamil Nadu woman kills self; records act on app

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday lifted the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/if-madras-high-court-doesnt-decide-by-april-24-ban-on-tiktok-will-be-lifted-supreme-court-212501">ban on TikTok video application</a>.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, the maker of hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief, then its ban order will stand vacated.

The company had told the court that the Madras High Court gave the order banning the app in India without hearing its side of the story. It also said that the ban has led to a loss of crores of rupees.

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Madurai bench of the Madras High Court lifts ban on TikTok video app. <a href="https://t.co/1oFP4oYncs">pic.twitter.com/1oFP4oYncs</a>
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The Supreme Court bench then said the next date of hearing is April 24, and if the high court doesn't decide on the plea against the ban, the order will stand vacated.

Google had last week blocked access to TikTok on its Play Store in India. The decision was taken hours after the Madras High Court refused a request by Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on TikTok, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt.

The Madras High Court had on April 3 asked the central government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban.

The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday lifted the ban on TikTok video application. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, the maker of hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief, then its ban order will stand vacated.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday lifted the ban on TikTok video application. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, the maker of hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief, then its ban order will stand vacated. The company had told the court that the Madras High Court gave the order banning the app in India without hearing its side of the story. It also said that the ban has led to a loss of crores of rupees. Madurai bench of the Madras High Court lifts ban on TikTok video app. pic.twitter.com/1oFP4oYncs — ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2019 × The Supreme Court bench then said the next date of hearing is April 24, and if the high court doesn't decide on the plea against the ban, the order will stand vacated. Google had last week blocked access to TikTok on its Play Store in India. The decision was taken hours after the Madras High Court refused a request by Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on TikTok, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The Madras High Court had on April 3 asked the central government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban. The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order.

Madras High Court lifts ban on TikTok video app

The Supreme Court of India on Monday told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, maker of hugely popular video sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief then its ban order will stand vacated.

The company had told the court that the Madras High Court gave the order banning the app in India without hearing its side of the story. It also said that the ban has led to a los of crores of rupees.

The Supreme Court bench then said the next date of hearing is April 24, and if the high court doesn't decide on the plea against ban, the order will stand vacated.

Google had last week <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-play-store-blocks-chinese-app-tiktok-in-india-after-court-order-211003">blocked access to TikTok</a> on its Play Store in India. The decision was taken hours after the Madras High Court refused a request by Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on TikTok, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt.

The Madras High Court had on April 3 asked the central government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched a public interest litigation calling for a ban.

The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order.

TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate.

It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year.

Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.

Bytedance challenged the Madras High Court's ban order in the Supreme Court earlier this month, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India.

The top court had <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-refuses-to-stay-madras-hc-order-on-tiktok-app-210536">referred the case back</a> to the Madras High Court, where a judge rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold.

TikTok had earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Supreme Court of India on Monday told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, maker of hugely popular video sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief then its ban order will stand vacated.

The Supreme Court of India on Monday told Chinese company Bytedance Technology, maker of hugely popular video sharing app TikTok, that if Madras the High Court fails to decide by April 24 its plea for relief then its ban order will stand vacated. The company had told the court that the Madras High Court gave the order banning the app in India without hearing its side of the story. It also said that the ban has led to a los of crores of rupees. The Supreme Court bench then said the next date of hearing is April 24, and if the high court doesn't decide on the plea against ban, the order will stand vacated. Google had last week blocked access to TikTok on its Play Store in India. The decision was taken hours after the Madras High Court refused a request by Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on TikTok, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The Madras High Court had on April 3 asked the central government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched a public interest litigation calling for a ban. The Centre had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Bytedance challenged the Madras High Court's ban order in the Supreme Court earlier this month, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. The top court had referred the case back to the Madras High Court, where a judge rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold. TikTok had earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. (With inputs from agencies)

If Madras High Court doesn't decide by April 24, ban on TikTok will be lifted: Supreme Court

Google has blocked access to the hugely popular<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-refuses-to-stay-madras-hc-order-on-tiktok-app-210536"> video app TikTok in India</a> to comply with a state court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The move comes hours after a court in southern Tamil Nadu state refused a request by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ban-will-amount-to-curtailing-rights-of-citizens-of-india-tiktok-to-court-209513">China's Bytedance Technology</a> to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt.

The state court had on April 3 asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched a public interest litigation calling for a ban.

The federal government had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order, according to an IT ministry official.

The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday, but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India.

Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Google's move.

TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate.

It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year.

Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.

Bytedance challenged the state court's ban order in India's Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India.

The top court had referred the case back to the state court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold, K. Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said.

TikTok earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. It did not comment further on the judge's decision.

The company, however, welcomed the decision to appoint a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings.

The state court has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for April 24.

Salman Waris, a technology lawyer at TechLegis Advocates &amp; Solicitors, said the legal action against Bytedance could set a precedent of Indian courts intervening to regulate content on social media and other digital platforms.

In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance argued that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene.

The company employs more than 250 people in India and had plans for more investment as it expands the business, it said.

Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with a state court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

Google has blocked access to the hugely popular video app TikTok in India to comply with a state court's directive to prohibit its downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The move comes hours after a court in southern Tamil Nadu state refused a request by China's Bytedance Technology to suspend a ban on its TikTok app, putting its future in one of its key markets in doubt. The state court had on April 3 asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. It's ruling came after an individual launched a public interest litigation calling for a ban. The federal government had sent a letter to Apple and Google to abide by the state court's order, according to an IT ministry official. The app was still available on Apple's platforms late on Tuesday, but was no longer available on Google's Play store in India. Google said in a statement it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Google's move. TikTok, which allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has become hugely popular in India but has been criticised by some politicians who say its content is inappropriate. It had been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, app analytics firm Sensor Tower said in February. More than 30 million users in India installed it in January 2019, 12 times more than in the same month last year. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the app's platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Bytedance challenged the state court's ban order in India's Supreme Court last week, saying it went against freedom of speech rights in India. The top court had referred the case back to the state court, where a judge on Tuesday rejected Bytedance's request to put the ban order on hold, K. Neelamegam, a lawyer arguing against Bytedance in the case, said. TikTok earlier said in a statement that it had faith in the Indian judicial system and was "optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by millions" of its users. It did not comment further on the judge's decision. The company, however, welcomed the decision to appoint a senior lawyer to assist the court in upcoming proceedings. The state court has requested written submissions from Bytedance in the case and has scheduled its next hearing for April 24. Salman Waris, a technology lawyer at TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors, said the legal action against Bytedance could set a precedent of Indian courts intervening to regulate content on social media and other digital platforms. In its Supreme Court filing, Bytedance argued that a "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok content was considered inappropriate or obscene. The company employs more than 250 people in India and had plans for more investment as it expands the business, it said.

Google Play store blocks Chinese app TikTok in India after court order

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay Madras High Court's order imposing a ban on Chinese video app TikTok.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter for hearing on April 22 as the case is coming up for hearing in the Madras High Court tomorrow.

The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by Chinese company ByteDance against the High Court which said there were over billion downloads of its app and the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had passed an ex-parte order.

In its April 3 order, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to ban the mobile app, voicing concern over "pornographic and inappropriate content" being made available through the app.

The order also restrained the media from telecasting videos made using the app.

The order had come after the court noted that through this app, children are being exposed to inappropriate content including pornography, adding that minors are also being exposed to strangers through this app.

"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," the bench had observed.

"On March 27, an auto driver was arrested for posting a video that included a woman from Chennai on TikTok Mobile App. A 15-year-old girl is said to have committed suicide at Mumbai for being scolded by her grandmother for use of TikTok Mobile App. An old man is said to have fallen in the waterfalls in Valparai, while taking a selfie or Tik Tok video. Before many tragic incidents would occur, the government has to take appropriate steps," the plea filed by Madurai senior lawyer Muttu Kumar read.

TikTok, an app that allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has over 54 million monthly active users in India.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay Madras High Court's order imposing a ban on Chinese video app TikTok. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter for hearing on April 22 as the case is coming up for hearing in the Madras High Court tomorrow.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay Madras High Court's order imposing a ban on Chinese video app TikTok. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter for hearing on April 22 as the case is coming up for hearing in the Madras High Court tomorrow. The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by Chinese company ByteDance against the High Court which said there were over billion downloads of its app and the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had passed an ex-parte order. In its April 3 order, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to ban the mobile app, voicing concern over "pornographic and inappropriate content" being made available through the app. The order also restrained the media from telecasting videos made using the app. The order had come after the court noted that through this app, children are being exposed to inappropriate content including pornography, adding that minors are also being exposed to strangers through this app. "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," the bench had observed. "On March 27, an auto driver was arrested for posting a video that included a woman from Chennai on TikTok Mobile App. A 15-year-old girl is said to have committed suicide at Mumbai for being scolded by her grandmother for use of TikTok Mobile App. An old man is said to have fallen in the waterfalls in Valparai, while taking a selfie or Tik Tok video. Before many tragic incidents would occur, the government has to take appropriate steps," the plea filed by Madurai senior lawyer Muttu Kumar read. TikTok, an app that allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has over 54 million monthly active users in India.

Supreme Court refuses to stay Madras HC order on TikTok app

After the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ban-chinese-video-app-tiktok-madras-high-court-to-government-207807">Madras High Court called for a ban</a> on the video app TikTok, China's Bytedance Technology Co said in a request to the Supreme Court to quash the directive.

Bytedance which is one of the world's most valuable start-ups. The company's TikTok app lets users create and share short videos with special effects. It has become popular in rural India.

TikTok, whose video-only interface makes it easier to use than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, says app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

A ban "amounts to curtailing of the rights of the citizens of India...who have been using the platform everyday to express themselves and create content," the company said in a court filing, asking for the order to be quashed.

The company's Monday filing is not public and has not previously been reported. The Supreme Court has set next Monday for a hearing.

Bytedance did not respond to a request for comment. India's information technology ministry also did not respond.

Last week, the Madras High Court had asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators.

TikTok's inappropriate content was a dangerous aspect of the app, it added.

Bytedance said users flagged only a tiny proportion of TikTok videos, showing that a "very minuscule" proportion of its content was considered inappropriate or obscene. TikTok was primarily used to circulate amusing videos, it added.

It also argued that it could not be held liable for content posted by users.

In its filing, the company said TikTok had experienced immense success in India, which fuelled controversy. Bytedance employs more than 250 people in India and plans more investment as it expands the business, it added.

After the Madras High Court called for a ban on the video app TikTok, China's Bytedance Technology Co said in a request to the Supreme Court to quash the directive.

After the Madras High Court called for a ban on the video app TikTok, China's Bytedance Technology Co said in a request to the Supreme Court to quash the directive. Bytedance which is one of the world's most valuable start-ups. The company's TikTok app lets users create and share short videos with special effects. It has become popular in rural India. TikTok, whose video-only interface makes it easier to use than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, says app analytics firm Sensor Tower. A ban "amounts to curtailing of the rights of the citizens of India...who have been using the platform everyday to express themselves and create content," the company said in a court filing, asking for the order to be quashed. The company's Monday filing is not public and has not previously been reported. The Supreme Court has set next Monday for a hearing. Bytedance did not respond to a request for comment. India's information technology ministry also did not respond. Last week, the Madras High Court had asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. TikTok's inappropriate content was a dangerous aspect of the app, it added. Bytedance said users flagged only a tiny proportion of TikTok videos, showing that a "very minuscule" proportion of its content was considered inappropriate or obscene. TikTok was primarily used to circulate amusing videos, it added. It also argued that it could not be held liable for content posted by users. In its filing, the company said TikTok had experienced immense success in India, which fuelled controversy. Bytedance employs more than 250 people in India and plans more investment as it expands the business, it added.

Ban will amount to curtailing rights of citizens of India: TikTok to court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on April 15 a plea challenging a recent Madras High Court order directing the Centre to ban the "TikTok" app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna agreed to hear the plea filed by Chinese company ByteDance, which said there were over billion downloads of the app and the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had passed an ex-parte order.

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court had, on April 3, directed the Centre to ban mobile application "TikTok" as it voiced concern over the "pornographic and inappropriate contents" being made available through such apps.

It had directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. The app allows users to create short videos and then share them.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on April 15 a plea challenging a recent Madras High Court order directing the Centre to ban the "TikTok" app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on April 15 a plea challenging a recent Madras High Court order directing the Centre to ban the "TikTok" app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna agreed to hear the plea filed by Chinese company ByteDance, which said there were over billion downloads of the app and the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had passed an ex-parte order. The Madurai bench of Madras High Court had, on April 3, directed the Centre to ban mobile application "TikTok" as it voiced concern over the "pornographic and inappropriate contents" being made available through such apps. It had directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. The app allows users to create short videos and then share them.

Supreme Court to hear on April 15 plea challenging Madras High Court order asking Centre to ban TikTok app

The Madras High Court on Wednesday asked the government to ban Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography".

Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. It has become hugely popular in rural India.

Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iCB0fMjhXzQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Earlier, IT minister of Tamil Nadu had described some of its more suggestive dance content as "unbearable".

The Madras High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation against the app, on Wednesday said children who were using TikTok were vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators.

"Inappropriate" content was TikTok's "dangerous aspect", the court said in an order, adding that "there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly".

A TikTok spokesman said the company was committed to abiding by local laws and was awaiting a copy of the court’s order, following which it would take appropriate action.

"Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment ... is our priority," he said.

As well as asking the government to ban the application and prohibit its downloads, the court said TikTok videos should not be broadcast by media.

TikTok, whose video-only interface makes it less elaborate and easier to use than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday asked the government to ban Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography". Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday asked the government to ban Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography". Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. It has become hugely popular in rural India. Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music. Earlier, IT minister of Tamil Nadu had described some of its more suggestive dance content as "unbearable". The Madras High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation against the app, on Wednesday said children who were using TikTok were vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators. "Inappropriate" content was TikTok's "dangerous aspect", the court said in an order, adding that "there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly". A TikTok spokesman said the company was committed to abiding by local laws and was awaiting a copy of the court’s order, following which it would take appropriate action. "Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment ... is our priority," he said. As well as asking the government to ban the application and prohibit its downloads, the court said TikTok videos should not be broadcast by media. TikTok, whose video-only interface makes it less elaborate and easier to use than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Ban Chinese video app TikTok: Madras High Court to government

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