TikTok Doesn't Want to Challenge Chinese Apps Ban, Wants to Work with Government

TikTok has refuted reports that suggested that the company was looking to contest the ban on 59 Chinese apps as imposed by the government of India. Instead, a company spokesperson has confirmed that TikTok now aims to work with government suggestions and directives, with regards to data protection and security. This falls in line with yesterday’s statement by TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer, who claimed that TikTok is compliant with all rules and regulations put forth by the Indian government.

TikTok’s latest statement on the matter says, “There have been statements in the press concerning the possibility that TikTok might pursue legal action regarding the directive by the Government of India. We have no plans to pursue such action. We are committed to working with the government to address its concerns. We comply with the laws and regulations of the Government of India. Ensuring the data sovereignty, security and privacy of our users has always been and will continue to be a top priority for us.”

TikTok was one of the 59 apps that were recently banned by the government of India, citing issues regarding data protection. Owned by Chinese conglomerate Bytedance, TikTok, along with apps such as Helo, Bigo Live, Vigo Video and Likee, were suspended from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store in India for the time being. TikTok is now believed to be meeting with government officials soon in a bid to convince them of the app meeting all privacy and safety guidelines.

However, India is hardly the first nation to raise concerns regarding data-related practices of apps that have their servers in China. The likes of USA and the European Union have repeatedly raised concerns regarding Chinese state-backed cyber espionage, and has put the scanner on multiple services based in China. Some of the most prominent names who have faced backlash so far include Huawei, the Bytedance group, and of late, Xiaomi.

Recently, TikTok also faced allegations for reading user clipboards, which it claimed to have done in the name of preventing spammers.