Google and Apple have removed the much-hyped video sharing application, TikTok from its App stores. The move comes right after Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology letter sent to Google and Apple to abide by the court order to prohibit the download of TiTok mobile application.
Google blocked access to TikTok from its Play Store in India to comply with the court’s directive, a person with direct knowledge told Reuters on Tuesday. The app was not available in Apple’s app store on Wednesday, the report added. This is a huge setback for developer Bytedance Technology, which had a strong presence in India through the application.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court previously rejected the petition to lift the ban against the Chinese app and it appointed senior advocate Arvind Datar as an independent counsel in the case to examine the implications of the application. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for April 24. TikTok currently has over 120 million monthly active users in India.
The whole incident came into limelight when a petition was filed in the Madras High Court citing to block the application from the country. The court then banned the application citing that it encourges pornography and illict content. The court also prohibited the media from telecasting the videos made using TikTok. However, the Chinese company said that it had removed over 6 million videos that violated its guidelines.