TikTok Ban in India: ByteDance Losing Over Rs 3 Crore Daily, Hundreds of Jobs at Risk

New Delhi, April 23: Due to the ban on Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok, its developer ByteDance is losing over Rs 3 core every day, the company reportedly said in its filing in the Supreme Court. The ban on TikTok in India has also put more than 250 jobs at risk, ByteDance said. TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects. The Chinese app has over 54 million monthly active users in India.

Seeking to withdraw the ban imposed on TikTok, ByteDance said in its filing that it was suffering a loss of $500,000 daily, Reuters reported. "Banning has had adverse impact on the user base of this app, losing close to 1 million new users per day ... It is estimated that approximately six million requests for downloads could not be effected since the ban came into effect," the developer said in its filing. TikTok Craze Claims Another Life; Delhi Teen Shot Dead as Pistol Goes Off While Filming Video on App.

On April 3, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had directed the Centre to ban TikTok app, voicing concern over “pornographic and inappropriate content” being made available through the application. The court had also barred media houses from publishing videos made using the app, observing that children are being exposed to inappropriate content including pornography through the app. TikTok Removed From Google Play Store, Apple App Store After Govt Bans Chinese Video-Sharing App to Curb Porn.

ByteDance challenged the Madras High Court’s ex-parte order in the Supreme Court. Initially, the apex court refused to intervene. However, on April 22,  it asked the Madras High Court to decide on TikTok's plea for an interim relief by April 24, failing which the ban imposed on the mobile app will stand lifted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2019 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).