TikTok is back in India after court lifts its ban
TikTok, the Chinese social media platform pulled from app stores in India over claims it made children vulnerable to pornographic and other inappropriate content, will be available for download again after winning a court fight.
The popular video-sharing app was reinstated by a court in India on Wednesday, a week after the Indian government forced it to be taken down from Google (GOOGL) and Apple's (AAPL) online marketplaces over concerns about inappropriate content.
The Madras High Court had ordered on April 3 that TikTok be banned, saying it could expose children to sexual predators, pornographic content and cyberbullying. But the court reversed its decision following an appeal by TikTok's parent company Bytedance, which can now continue adding to the app's 120 million monthly active users in India.
"We are glad about this decision and we believe it is also greatly welcomed by our thriving community in India, who use TikTok as a platform to showcase their creativity," the company said in a statement to CNN.
The video-sharing app has become hugely popular in India in recent months. The country now accounts for almost a quarter of TikTok's global user base.
But it's the latest casualty of increasing government scrutiny of social media in India. Facebook (FB), WhatsApp and Twitter (TWTR) are facing questions over misinformation and inappropriate content as the country votes in its huge national election.
Any restrictions in India are a huge blow to tech companies and platforms. The country has more than 500 million people online, and a further 800 million potential users.
TikTok reportedly lost big even in the one week that it was unavailable for download in India, saying in a court filing accessed by Reuters that it was losing up to $500,000 a day in India during the ban. The company declined to comment.
India is not the only country where TikTok has run into legal trouble over its impact on minors — it was forced to pay a fine of nearly $6 million to US authorities in February, over allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13.
The Chinese firm said Wednesday that it will step up efforts to crack down on attempts to misuse its platform.
"We are committed to continuously enhancing our safety features as a testament to our ongoing commitment to our users in India," it said.