Indian media has revealed that India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a new notification making permanent the ban announced last June against ByteBeat’s popular short-video App TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps.
The Times of India website reported last night that the notices were issued last week. When the Indian government initially imposed the ban, it allegedly gave the apps a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements; the companies were also asked to answer a series of questions.
The report noted that the apps include TikTok, but also Tencent’s WeChat, Alibaba’s UC Browser, Xiaomi Video, Bigo Live, and e-commerce platform Club Factory.
Business newspaper Livemint quoted sources familiar with the matter as saying, “The government is not satisfied with the responses, explanations from these companies. As a result, the ban on the 59 apps will be permanent.”
A TikTok representative told The Economic Times that the company is evaluating the notice and will respond if appropriate.
For its part, a Xiaomi spokesperson said, “Xiaomi India will comply with all government orders and will continue to do so, while working with relevant stakeholders.”
Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Communist Party‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in late November last year that the Chinese government has always required that Chinese companies carry out foreign cooperation based on compliance with international rules and local laws and regulations, and that the Indian government has the responsibility to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international investors, including Chinese companies, based on market principles.
After the worst military conflict between India and China in nearly half a century erupted in June last year, India increased pressure on Chinese technology companies, including banning 59 Chinese apps such as TikTok from the Indian market in late June on the grounds that they “affect national security” and then banning 118 Chinese mobile apps in September. In September, 118 Chinese mobile apps were banned, including Tencent’s popular video game “PUBG.
Recent Comments