Court asks Government to ban the Chinese app TikTok

The Madras High Court has advised the Centre government to ban Chinese app TikTok. The Madurai bench of the high court issued the order. The app has more than 200 million downloads in India and is mainly popular in small towns. The app can be downloaded for free of cost; though users may have to pay for some in-app purchases. This is not the first time that TikTok is amid controversy. Earlier also several experts have raised concerns over the app being used by predators to aim kids and adolescents.

Here's all you need to know about the 'ban' on TikTok

1. Madras High Court Directions

* Government is directed to prohibit downloading of TikTok app

* Media is prohibited from telecasting videos made using TikTok app

* Government needs to answer if the Union of India will enact a statute, like the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, enacted by the United States, to prevent the children becoming cyber/online victims.

2. Why it is Banned

One of the reasons why TikTok is banned is because it was "encouraging pornography". The Madras High court further said that children using the TikTok app are vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators.

3. Court calls TikTok 'dangerous

The Madras High Court termed TikTok's "inappropriate" content in order as the app's "dangerous aspect". The court further added that "there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly".

4. Who is the App's Developer

The app has been created by Beijing-based Bytedance Technology Co

5. What TikTok App is used for

The app allows users to make and share short videos with special effects

6. The court order may be difficult to implement

The order, however, is very difficult to implement as per officials of the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY). A senior government official, who didn't want to disclose the identity, reportedly told economic times that the order appears to be difficult to implement.

7. The court order came in response to a PIL which sought the ban on the app claiming it encourages "disturbing content and degrades culture".

8. The app is already banned in Indonesia and Bangladesh

9. TikTok introduced 'Safety Centre' in India

Recently, TikTok launched a localised version of its 'Safety Centre' in India. It has safety policies, tools and resources in 10 Indian languages. These include Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam and Punjabi.