Ban on TikTok continues in India, the Government said- no order has been issued to unblock the app

The government has not issued any order to unblock the Chinese internet media platform TikTok. After some people accessed the TikTok website on their desktop browser, reports of it being unblocked started coming out.

No order issued to unblock TikTok

However, official sources said late Friday night that the Government of India has not issued any order to unblock TikTok. Any such statement or news is false and misleading.

TikTok was also among the internet media platforms blocked by the government after the clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh in June 2020.

59 apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, and Shein, were blocked

Initially, 59 apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, and Shein, were blocked. Later, the government blocked more apps, including PUBG. As per the government order, the ban continues on all platforms.

Banned since 2020

When the Indian government banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in June 2020, the announcement was made without any warning. This suddenly cut off 20 crore active TikTok users from India from the platform. The government had decided to block TikTok, citing 'data privacy' and 'national security risk'. Since then, the app has been banned in one of India's largest markets.

Focus on India-China relations

The recent improvement in India-China relations is fuelling speculation of a comeback. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi earlier this week included meetings with Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Both sides stressed the importance of 'frank and constructive' dialogue. The Prime Minister's visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit later this month could be a sign of improved relations.