TikTok's Fate in Question: Will the Short-Video App Face a Global Ban?
US official says Tiktok is a national security threat
4 January 2023
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Jayashri Ghorpade
The social media platform has enjoyed its share of popularity since being launched in September 2016 with 1.5 billion active monthly users
Despite its undisputed success, TikTok is also controversial in many parts of the world.
While some countries have imposed a ban on the app, the others have either attempted to block it or introduced temporary restrictions.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner praised India for its decision to ban the viral short form video social media app Tiktok, and mentioned that India has set an important precedent with the decision.
“For those who argue that there is no way to ban an app, India is an example of a country that has done it and done it successfully” said the US FCC Commissioner while he insinuated that the US will work in the same direction to ban multiple ‘nefarious apps’ in the near future.
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The app ban was first instantiated in 2020 when there was conflict between India and China in the borders. 59 different apps including UC Browser, PUBG, Battleground and ShareIt were banned by India in February 2020 and hundreds of other apps were periodically banned within the next year.
The US regularities kept a close surveillance on the app after it admitted spying on local journalists to get to the news source. Meanwhile the US authorities are supporting India’s bold move.
The app is said to be illegally accessing data of the US population from China. Following India’s decision, Australia and Taiwan are also considering banning the app.
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