Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian court moves to lift ban on Chinese video app TikTok

AN INDIAN state court on today (24) moved to lift a ban on popular video app TikTok in the country, two lawyers involved in the case said, in a boost for its developer Beijing Bytedance Technology Co.

Earlier this month, the court in the southern state of Tamil Nadu ordered the Indian government to prohibit TikTok downloads, saying the app was encouraging pornography and could expose children to sexual predators.


Acting upon subsequent instructions from the federal IT ministry, Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google last week removed TikTok from their Indian app stores.

But on Wednesday (24), hearing a plea from Bytedance, the state court reversed its April 3 decision pushing for the ban, K Neelamegam, a lawyer who argued against Bytedance in the case said.

Neelamegam added that his client, an individual who had filed a public interest litigation calling for the ban, did not plan to appeal the court's latest decision.

A senior government official said the IT ministry, once it received the court's order, would ask Apple and Google to allow the TikTok app to return on their platforms.

A spokesman for TikTok said the company welcomed the court's decision. "We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our users better," he said.

TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects and is one of the world's most popular apps.

It has been downloaded by nearly 300 million users so far in India, out of more than one billion downloads globally, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.

TikTok features memes and music videos, with some clips showing youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-syncing and dancing to popular tunes.

Some Indian politicians and parents say its content is inappropriate.

A second lawyer involved in the case, who declined to be named, said Bytedance argued in the state court that TikTok was just a platform where users upload their videos and the company should not be held liable for their actions.

A "very minuscule" proportion of TikTok's videos were considered inappropriate or obscene, the company has previously said in a court filing.

Bytedance had also urged India's Supreme Court to quash the ban, but the case was referred back to the state court.

The ban was resulting in "financial losses" of up to $500,000 (£38,6015) a day for Bytedance, and had put more than 250 jobs at risk, the company had said.

The ban worried the social media industry in India as it sees legal worries mounting if courts increasingly regulate content on their platforms.

(Reuters)

More For You

Shein-Reuters

Shein had aimed to go public in London in the first half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals in the UK and China. (Photo: Reuters)

Shein cuts valuation to £40 billion for London listing

SHEIN is preparing to lower its valuation to around £40 billion for a potential initial public offering (IPO) in London, according to three Reuters sources familiar with the matter.

This is nearly 25 per cent lower than the company's 2023 fundraising valuation as it faces increasing challenges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Northern-Superchargers-Getty

Ben Stokes and Matthew Short of Northern Superchargers walk out to bat during The Hundred match between Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers on August 11, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sunrisers Hyderabad to acquire Northern Superchargers in £100 million deal

INDIAN Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad is set to become the first full owners of an English Hundred team after agreeing to buy Yorkshire’s Northern Superchargers for a reported £100 million.

The Sun Group will be the third IPL-linked investor in the eight-team Hundred competition, following Reliance Industries, which owns Mumbai Indians, and RPSG, which runs Lucknow Super Giants.

Keep ReadingShow less
BT-Getty

A view of the British Telecom (BT) headquarters in central London. (Photo: Getty Images)

BT to remove diversity targets from manager bonuses

BT will remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) targets from its manager bonus scheme, replacing them with a measure of overall employee engagement.

The change, set to take effect in April, follows consultation with major investors and has received “strong support,” according to the company, The Telegraph reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
India's central bank cuts interest rates for first time since 2020

The central bank announced a 25-basis-point cut in the benchmark repo rate to 6.25 per cent, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks.. (Photo credit: Reuters)

India's central bank cuts interest rates for first time since 2020

THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA (RBI) reduced interest rates on Friday for the first time in nearly five years, citing concerns over economic growth despite inflation risks.

The central bank announced a 25-basis-point cut in the benchmark repo rate to 6.25 per cent, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

Gautam Adani

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

SRI LANKA’S government started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said last Tuesday (28).

Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after US authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has denied the allegations.

Keep ReadingShow less