India has taken action by banning 59 Chinese mobile applications, including popular social media platforms such as TikTok, Helo and WeChat, in response to the threat these applications pose to its “sovereignty and security.”
This decision comes amidst escalating tensions along the disputed India-China border, with both countries deploying additional troops to the Ladakh region and satellite images indicating new structures built by China overlooking the Himalayan border region.
The ban was imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, with the Indian government citing concerns about unauthorized transfer of data on Indian users abroad. India’s Ministry of Information Technology expressed deep concerns about the compilation, mining, and profiling of this data by elements hostile to national security and defense.
In response to the ban, TikTok emphasized its commitment to user security and the country overall, stating that it has been critical to their global success to build empowered local management teams in the countries where TikTok operates, including India.
India is TikTok’s largest foreign market, with an estimated 120 million users. However, with diplomatic tensions impacting business and tech, a complete decoupling may prove to be a challenging endeavor, as China dominates India’s vast internet market.
Relations between India and China have been strained following the deaths of 20 Indian troops in a clash with their Chinese counterparts along the contested border in mid-June.