India has permanently banned 59 Chinese apps, including Byte Dance's TikTok, Alibaba's UC Browser, Xiaomi's Mi Video Call and Mi Community, and Tencent's WeChat, citing user security and privacy concerns. The apps had already been banned in the country for a similar reason. at the end of June.

According to information from the agency Reuters, revealed on Tuesday (26/1), India has permanently banned TikTok and other Chinese apps after the Ministry of Information Technology was dissatisfied with the companies' responses to a list of 77 questions related to data collection and processing methods. The purpose of the interrogation was to determine whether the apps censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied Indian influencers. The companies were individually notified about the ban last week, according to the local daily The Times of India.

In an official statement, TikTok said it was evaluating the notice. “We continuously strive to comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to address any government concerns. Ensuring the privacy and security of all users remains our top priority,” the statement said. A spokesperson for Xiaomi, which owns the Video and Community apps, said the company was “in compliance with all orders from the Indian government.”

Geopolitical tension

Since last year, India and China have been in a standoff on their borders. In June last year, a clash between the two armies in Ladakh, a border region in northern India, killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese.

Now, a new confrontation, this time in Sikkim, the eastern border of the Himalayas, occurred when a Chinese patrol attempted to cross the territory and was repelled. There is still no information on whether there were any deaths or injuries in the incident.

A year ago, at the Ladakh event, the Ministry of Information Technology declared that the apps were “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order”. Given this scenario, it is therefore clear that the permanent ban on apps like TikTok in India is linked to the resurgence of hostilities on the border. The Indian government has not yet made an official statement on the ban on the apps.

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