As the Indian government bans several Chinese apps in the wake of growing cross border tension between India and China, the ban on Byte Dance’s TikTok has invited great protest from its users. TikTok was blocked on Google and Apple app stores in India after New Delhi said on that it was among the 59 apps which it believed posed a “threat to sovereignty and integrity”. Since last day TikTok’s already downloaded versions on phones in India stopped showing any videos.

With more than 600 million downloads, India has accounted for 30% of TikTok’s 2 billion downloads worldwide so far. ByteDance last year hired several senior executives and laid out plans to invest $1 billion in India, its top growth market. TikTok said in a statement that India had invited the company to respond to the ban and submit clarifications, adding that it complies with all data security and privacy requirements.

The government order didn’t name China, or cite the border clashes. App analytics firm Sensor Tower said all the 59 apps named were of Chinese origin, including Tencent’s WeChat and Alibaba’s UC Browser.

“If this is not rolled back, these companies would be constrained to cut back their operations in India, potentially resulting in a loss of employment,” said a lawyer who advises a Chinese company whose app has been banned in India.

China’s foreign ministry said it was “strongly concerned” about India’s decision. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi said it suspected the move violated WTO rules.

Many TikTok users posted videos expressing their displeasure before the app stopped showing content on Tuesday. Some told their followers to track their future posts on YouTube or Instagram.

When TikTok was banned briefly last year after a state court said the app encouraged pornography, the company told the Supreme Court the ban cost it roughly $15 million a month. Several Indian lawyers said the chances of success of a legal challenge this time were slim given the government had invoked national security concerns, meaning the Chinese companies can only hope to lobby India to reverse the decision.

China said that India’s move to ban 59 Chinese-origin mobile apps could be a breach of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and urged New Delhi to create an open and fair business environment. The ban would affect Indian jobs, and China urged India to treat all investments and service providers equally, and create an open, fair and just business environment.

Source- Reuters