The two China based apps TikTok and Helo are yet again in legal trouble as Indian Government issues notice with a set of 24 questions. The government has also threatened them with a ban incase they fail to respond appropriately before 22nd July.
The govt action has reportedly come after a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM). The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) co-convener Ashwani Mahajan in the letter requested PM Modi to ban TikTok and Helo, claiming that these two Chinese social media applications had become a hub for “anti-national content” and that they were “exposing India’s youth to being influenced by vested interests”.
The letter apparently came after a video surfaced on TikTok in which three users, apparently based in Mumbai, talked of Muslims turning to terrorism due to incidents of lynching. These users were removed by TikTok and video deleted from the apps.
In its questions govt has raised concerns over what it perceives as an anti-national content and obscene video clips on TikTok. The government has also asked questions about underage TikTok users, about how TikTok monitors and removes objectionable content and how TikTok collects and share users data.
In a joint statement released by TikTok and Helo, the companies said,”We take our responsibilities to TikTok community seriously and welcome this opportunity to fully collaborate with the Government to meet and exceed our obligations.”
TikTok also said that its committed to India and that it is investing $1 billion here.
This is not the first time TikTok is in trouble. In April after Madras High Court interim order, the app was removed from Android and iPhone app stores. It was restored after the court granted it a relief when TikTok detailed what it was doing to address the concerns over objectionable content within app.
