Tag: TikTok

TikTok is a wildly popular media sharing platform/application that has a lot of controversy surrounding it at the moment. On April 16, 2019, the Indian Government issued a report which stated that Google and Apple should take down the TikTok app from the respective application stores. Shortly after, the action was implemented by both American technology organizations, resulting in the removal of the application from the online app stores. As per latest reports, the Madras High Court has lifted the ban on the aforementioned app.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court announced its decision on Wednesday (April 24, 2019).  The Bench removed its interim order on the condition that the upload of any form of obscene content to the application will result in the revival of any court proceedings associated with the same. On the other hand, TikTok users are ecstatic, and so is the company. In a statement by ByteDance, which is the parent company of TikTok, this decision is greatly appreciated by the thriving community in India, as it will give a chance to the users to showcase their creativity via the application.

Previously, Tamil Nadu’s IT Minister M. Manikandan had suggested that the state should submit a petition to the Central Government in order to incorporate a strict ban on the application in India. Consequently, the HC had appointed Arvind Datar as the independent counsel to the court. As per recent reports, the Chinese company had appealed for interim relief by April 24, which led to the lift of the ban from TikTok in India.

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In further developments, TikTok said that it will continuously keep improving its security detail in order to regulate any forms of obscene and vulgar content on the application, while catering to the users’ needs at the same time. India’s resilience against such applications is increasing day-by-day, and only time will tell if banning such applications will lead to an improvement in the social culture or not. 

On April 16 2019, the Indian government asked American Multinational technology giants Apple and Google to take down the popular application TikTok from the respective application stores. This action took place soon after the Supreme court refused to issue a stay order regarding the ban of the viral app. As per reports, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok had previously filed an appeal which alleged that such a ban will lead to a huge setback to the company in the future run. As per latest reports, the application has been banned from both Apple and Google’s application stores. 

About TikTok

TikTok is an insanely viral media sharing application, which is a rebranded version of the application that was earlier referred to as ‘Musical.ly’. The app allows users to share self-created short videos with a background track of their choice. Millions of audio tracks are present in TikTok’s library. Furthermore, a multitude of filters and effects are available in the application, which can be used to enhance the video quality. The app is completely free to use and was gaining a lot of popularity among the younger audience. 

The aforementioned application was accused of providing unregulated videos to its users, which contained instances of vulgar content. Reports stated that the Madurai bench of the aforementioned High Court had previously passed an order which directed the government to remove the application and any similar instances from the app stores. In the appeal filed by ByteDance, it claims to have taken down 6 million lewd and non-compliant videos from the application’s video library. Moreover, ByteDance also stated that the company trusts the Supreme Court to take the right decision. 

Conclusions

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The Madras HC also appointed a senior advocate as an independent counsel in the case. The Senior Advocate will examine the implications of the application regarding any policy-violating content in the application. In the next hearing (which will be held on April 24), TikTok’s viability as a media sharing application will be brought to light. Even though there is a chance that the application may not ever make its way back to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, TikTok Owners are quite positive regarding the results of the hearing in the light of the appointment of the new independent counsel. 

In the ongoing case against the immensely popular media app TikTok; the Indian government has asked technology giants Apple and Google to take down the short video recording and sharing service from their respective app platforms. The news arrives after the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay order on the banning of the app. ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok had filed the appeal to issue a stay on banning the app alleging it is causing irreparable damage to the company.

What Is TikTok?

For those who are unaware, TikTok is a popular Chinese mobile app that was earlier known as ‘Musical.ly’. It lets users create short videos and offers features like filters and effects to be used in the videos. The app has become immensely popular among the younger audience which is credited to the exponential increase in affordable smartphones and the rise of 4G connectivity in the country.

About The Case

A case was filed in the Madras High Court after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the court regarding the TikTok app for objectionable, vulgar content. The Madurai bench of the aforementioned High Court passed an order which directed the government to stop the downloading the app in the country. It also put a restriction on certain media houses which restrained them from telecasting the videos created using the TikTok app. As mentioned above, the company ByteDance then challenged this by filing an appeal in the Supreme Court. It has claimed it has taken down almost 6 million videos which didn’t meet its guideline policies and that it trusts the Indian Judicial System to take the right decision. 

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The aforementioned request to remove TikTok from app stores by the government is issued via the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The ministry has asked Apple and Google, both of the companies which own iOS and Android OS respectively. If the companies accept the request made by the government, the TikTok app will cease to subsist on the app stores of both the Operating Systems. This is being done to stop new users from downloading the app. However, for users who have the TikTok app preinstalled on their devices, the change wouldn’t lead to anything, as the app would continue to exist on their devices.