TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It

New Delhi, located in India, has recently been in the news. The immensely popular Chinese application TikTok may face expulsion from the United States, as legislation prohibiting the video-sharing software has obtained congressional endorsement and is currently its route to President Biden for his formal consent.

The app was prohibited in India approximately four years ago. This is a summary of the events:

Indian TikTok users stopped using the app in June 2020, according to the Chinese internet company ByteDance. New Delhi swiftly prohibited the widely used application and numerous other Chinese applications in response to a military confrontation on the India-China border.

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TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It

A total of twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives, resulting in a significant deterioration of relations between the two major Asian powers.

The government justified its actions by citing privacy concerns and asserting that Chinese apps pose a significant risk to India’s sovereignty and security.

The decision received significant backing in India, particularly from those who had been advocating for a boycott of Chinese products following the fatal clash in the remote Karakoram mountain border area.

“Prior to this, there was a significant uproar, with the prevailing discourse questioning the permissibility of Chinese companies engaging in business activities in India while a military confrontation is ongoing,” stated Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy specialist and the creator of the technology website MediaNama.

Pahwa noted that India had imposed restrictions on investment from Chinese enterprises just a few months before the ban. “TikTok was not an isolated incident.” Today, India has banned more than 500 apps of Chinese origin.

India has over 200 million TikTok users, the highest number outside of China. The corporation has hired a large number of Indian employees.

However, TikTok users and content providers required an alternative platform, and the ban presented a lucrative opportunity to capture a substantial market share worth billions of dollars. In a matter of months, Google introduced YouTube Shorts, and Instagram launched its Reels feature. Both emulated the concise video production at which TikTok had excelled.

“They ultimately gained a significant portion of the market that TikTok had left,” stated Pahwa.

TikTok content in India has a distinct hyperlocal nature, setting it apart. The videos showcased the lifestyles of small-town India, with content from tier 2 and 3 cities. These videos depicted individuals performing impressive feats while engaged in tasks such as bricklaying.

However, in most cases, content creators and users have transitioned to alternative platforms in the four years following the prohibition.

Winnie Sangma longs to upload videos on TikTok and get a modest income. However, following the prohibition, he transitioned to Instagram and currently boasts a following of 15,000 individuals. The procedure has largely been effortless.

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TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It

“I have amassed a following on Instagram as well, and I am generating income from it. However, the experience is not comparable to what it used to be on TikTok,” he stated.

Rajib Dutta, a regular user of TikTok, subsequently transitioned to Instagram following the suspension. “It was inconsequential,” he stated.

The measure prohibiting the app has obtained congressional approval and is pending President Biden’s signature.

The measure grants ByteDance, the app’s parent firm, a nine-month period to divest it, with an additional three months if a deal is in progress. If this does not occur, TikTok will face a ban. Implementing a ban requires a minimum of one year, but the process could be prolonged due to anticipated legal disputes.

The ban in India in 2020 was implemented promptly. TikTok and other corporations were granted a period to respond to privacy and security inquiries. Subsequently, in January 2021, a permanent prohibition was implemented.

Pahwa stated that the situation in the United States is distinct. In India, TikTok opted against pursuing legal action, but the United States represents a more substantial source of revenue for the company. Furthermore, he mentioned that the First Amendment in the United States is robust, implying that it will not be as effortless for the United States to take such action as it was for India. This statement pertains to the constitutional protection of free expression in the United States.

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TikTok May Be Banned In The US. Here’s What Happened When India Did It

With the increasing prevalence of Chinese applications worldwide, Pahwa emphasizes the importance of countries evaluating their reliance on China and establishing measures to diminish it since these apps can potentially threaten national security.The application is prohibited in Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, and its usage is limited in other European nations.

The Chinese intelligence and cybersecurity laws empower Chinese apps to prioritize their security concerns. Pahwa stated that this leads to mistrust and poses a risk to national security for others.

“There ought to exist distinct regulations for democratic nations and authoritarian regimes, wherein companies can function as an appendage of the state,” he said.

SOURCE – (AP)