India has reportedly banned TikTok — the popular social media video app — from the country, alleging that the app violates privacy law and threatens “sovereignty.”
What’s happening:
- India announced Monday it would ban 59 apps from the country, including TikTok.
- These apps were banned for taking part “in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
- TikTok — which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company — has faced accusations over privacy policies in the past.
- The ban comes at a moment of darkness between India and China, too.
- Mashable said: “While there are privacy-related reasons to be concerned about TikTok, and many other apps for that matter, this latest ban follows on the heels of a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese military forces earlier this month that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.”
Why this matters
- TikTok has tried to become a popular app throughout the world, bringing people closer together in the process.
- But “China’s worsening diplomatic relations around the globe. It is yet another sign that the digital world, once thought of as a unifying space that transcended old divisions, is being carved up along the same national lines that split the physical one,” according to The New York Times.