Yesterday it was reported that the Madras High Court has asked the government to ban Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography". Speaking to Reuters in February, the IT minister of Tamil Nadu described some of its more suggestive dance content as "unbearable", while a rightwing group close to the has called for the app to be banned.
Taking matters seriously, the China-based company has released a statement as a response to yesterday's development. "At TikTok, we are committed to abiding by local laws and regulations. We fully comply with the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011. We are currently awaiting the official order by the Honourable High Court of Madras and once received, we will review and take appropriate action regarding this matter. Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment at TikTok is our priority. We have robust measures to protect users against misuse, protect their privacy and digital wellbeing. This includes easy reporting mechanisms that enable users and law enforcement to report content that violates our terms of use and comprehensive Community Guidelines. In order to better coordinate with law enforcement agencies, we have appointed a Chief Nodal Officer based out of India
The centre has been asked by the Madras High Court to ban popular Chinese video app TikTok, saying it was "encouraging pornography". The order also directs the media from telecasting videos made using the app.
TikTok, an app that allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, has over 54 million monthly active users in India.
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, which has been hearing a petition against the app, on Wednesday said children who were using TikTok were vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators.
The petition was filed by a Madurai-based senior lawyer-cum-social activist Muthu Kumar. Citing pornography, cultural degradation, child abuse, suicides, he had requested the court to direct a ban on TikTok.
The judges, Justices N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar, have also directed the central government to respond before April 16 if it would enact regulations such as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act in the US to prevent children becoming online victims.
"We are happy about the interim order," said Neelamegam, the petitioner's lawyer.
A TikTok spokesman told news agency Reuters the company was committed to abiding by local laws and was awaiting a copy of the court's order, following which it would take appropriate action.
"Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment ... is our priority," he said.
The court said the "dangerous aspect" of TikTok is the "inappropriate" content. It also said "there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly".
The order also observed that pranks made using the app could violate privacy.
A few months, AIADMK legislator Thamimun Ansari, on the floor of the Tamil Nadu assembly, had demanded ban on TikTok citing what he called cultural degradation. The state IT Minister Manikanandan had said he would take it up with the centre.
TikTok, which was launched in 2019, is a social video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Co. It reached the one billion download mark in February. It was the fourth most-downloaded non-game app in 2018.
TikTok was among the internet companies that recently agreed to come up with a model code document for themselves on the lines of the model code of conduct for the upcoming national election and for the future, in an attempt to curb fake news on social media.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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The court issued the directive following concerns that children were becoming addicted to the app, which allows content of less than 60 seconds to be created and shared with millions of users.
The government is studying the ruling by the Madras High Court that asked the Centre to stop downloads of TikTok, the Chinese app popular among teenagers in the country, people familiar with the development said.
Officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) said the order, issued on Wednesday by the Madurai bench of the high court, is very hard to implement and instead of the government, the affected party should appeal.
“We are yet to go through the order in detail, but it appears to be unimplementable,” a senior government official told ET on condition of anonymity. “Rather than the government getting involved at this stage, it would be appropriate for the affected party to appeal the matter
Madras High Court’s TikTok order has government in a bind ‘It Encourages ’: Madras High Court Asks Government to Ban Video App TikTok News
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