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A day after the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps, including a few popular ones like TikTok and ShareIt, people shared jokes and memes on social media. Following the government order, TikTok was taken down from Apple App store and Google Play store. Soon #RipTikTok started to trend online. The government decision comes amid the escalating tension in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
“For safety, security, defence, sovereignty & integrity of India and to protect data & privacy of people of India the Government has banned 59 mobile apps. Jai Hind!” Ravi Shankar Prasad, Electronics & Information Technology Minister wrote on Twitter announcing the move. Following the announcement, the ministry released a list of all the apps and websites that now remain banned. Soon people dubbed the move as ‘Digital Strike’ and hashtag with the same name dominated social media conversations. While most cheered for the government, others poke fun at ardent users of such apps.
https://twitter.com/Deep_Valeshaa/status/1277625541835792392
https://twitter.com/thisiscsr/status/1277627542137040896
Many also referred to YouTuber Carry Minati’s viral video titled ‘YouTube vs TikTok- The End’, which took social media by storm and was ultimately taken down.
https://twitter.com/_manishaa_/status/1277668267297878016
https://twitter.com/PatekarNana_/status/1277658997726695424
However, amid all the buzz surrounding the ban of Chinese apps, popular gaming app PUBG also started trending online, as it didn’t find a mention in the list. Although the company is a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, people got confused and many are now demanding its ban, while others are joking that parents would have been so relieved if it had Chinese origin.
https://twitter.com/champ1540/status/1277633452121047040
Hours after the government banned 59 apps originating from China, including TikTok, the company’s representatives in India on Tuesday said it is in the process of complying with the government order and that it has not shared any information of Indian users with foreign governments, including China.
TikTok India head Nikhil Gandhi in a statement said, “TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government.”
