TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps were initially banned by Indian government last year, after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash on June 15 with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The apps were banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued fresh notices to make the ban imposed on these apps permanent. According to reports, the government had given the 59 apps, including TikTok, a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements, but was not satisfied. So they decided to go with the permanent ban.
With the news of permanent ban on the app, TikTok’s parent body ByteDance has begun the process of laying off staff in India. Several people aware of the matter said hundreds of people could lose their jobs.
Looking at the steps of the parent body of TikTok, it seems that the chances for come back is very rare. However, India was the biggest market for TikTok, before it was banned.
In September 2020, Indian government further banned 118 mobile apps, including Tencent’s game PUBG. The move was based on comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Affairs.