Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Court in India asks government to ban Chinese video application TikTok

Easterneye.Biz Staff
By Easterneye.Biz StaffApr 04, 2019
Easterneye.Biz Staff
See Full Bio

A COURT in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu yesterday (3) asked the federal government to ban Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography".

Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects.

It has become hugely popular in rural India, home to most of the country’s 1.3 billion people.

Jokes, clips and footage related to India's thriving movie industry dominate the platform, along with memes and videos in which youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-sync and dance to popular music.

The IT minister of Tamil Nadu described some of its more suggestive dance content as "unbearable", while a group close to India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for the app to be banned.

Also in February, the BJP's chief of information technology, Amit Malviya, said the party was tracking TikTok conversations and called it "a brilliant medium for creative expression".

The Tamil Nadu High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation against the app, on Wednesday (3) said children who were using TikTok were vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators.

"Inappropriate" content was TikTok's "dangerous aspect", the court said in an order, adding that "there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly".

A TikTok spokesman told that the company was committed to abiding by local laws and was awaiting a copy of the court’s order, following which it would take appropriate action.

"Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment ... is our priority," he said.

India's federal IT ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As well as asking the government to ban the application and prohibit its downloads, the court said TikTok videos should not be broadcast by media.

TikTok, whose video-only interface makes it less elaborate and easier to use than platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, has been downloaded more than 240 million times in India, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

(Reuters)

tiktokchinesetamil naduvideo applicationindia

Related News

Sanjay Bhandari's extradition appeal opens in London
Business

Sanjay Bhandari's extradition appeal opens in London

Rupert Murdoch looks on as he walks on the day of the hearing on the contentious matter of succession of Rupert Murdoch's global television and publishing empire, in Reno, Nevada, US, September 23, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
Business

Murdoch's bid to secure eldest son's control of media empire fails

Kamlesh Pattni faces UK sanctions for illicit gold trade
Business

Kamlesh Pattni faces UK sanctions for illicit gold trade

Sanjay Malhotra speaks during the 67th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in New Delhi on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Business

India appoints Sanjay Malhotra as new central bank governor

EasternEye

More For You

Netflix board exit slow growth

Netflix forecast earnings per share for the current quarter below analyst expectations and recorded its slowest quarterly revenue growth in a year

Getty Images

The man behind Netflix's streaming rise to leave board amid slowest growth in a year

Highlights

  • Hastings will not seek re-election as chairman at Netflix's June annual meeting.
  • Netflix stock dropped around 9 per cent following the news.
  • Revenue grew 16 per cent to $12.25bn but quarterly growth was the slowest in a year.
Reed Hastings built Netflix's famous performance culture not in a boardroom but during a crisis. When startup funding dried up in the company's early years, he was forced to let go of a third of his workforce. Keeping only what he called the "keepers," productivity surged.
That difficult period became the foundation of the "Netflix Way," later documented in his book No Rules Rules.
Hastings himself reflected on this in a shareholder letter on Thursday, writing: "My real contribution at Netflix wasn't a single decision, but rather, building a company that others could inherit and improve."

Founder steps back

Hastings, 65, will not seek re-election as chairman at the company's annual general meeting in June, choosing instead to focus on philanthropy.

The announcement marks the end of a 29-year chapter at a company he helped grow from a DVD-by-mail service into a global streaming powerhouse that changed how the world watches film and television.

Keep ReadingShow less