'India needs to recover its user data from banned Chinese apps'
4 years, 1 month ago

'India needs to recover its user data from banned Chinese apps'

India TV News  

The government must direct the banned Chinese apps to hand over the entire data of Indian users, former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue K.N. Last year, India had banned over 200 apps citing various reasons, including national security concerns and reports of stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. "The government ought to ensure that these companies do not generate undue commercial gains from data already accumulated of crores of Indians," read the letter dated January 30. "Whereas, in Cambridge Analytica, the data of about 5 lakh Indians were compromised, the quantum of number of users in relation to Chinese apps in crores.

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History of this topic

Apps banned over terror link in 2023 still thriving, government acknowledges
1 month ago

Apps banned over terror link in 2023 still thriving, government acknowledges

India Today  

In mid-2023, the Indian government banned at least 14 mobile applications – mostly used for secure communication – over inputs that were being used by Pakistan-based terrorist handlers. In an RTI response to India Today, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology acknowledged it issued orders to “intermediaries” in May 2023 to take down 14 applications under the Information Technology …

India bans 119 Chinese apps from Google Play Store citing national security concerns
1 month, 1 week ago

India bans 119 Chinese apps from Google Play Store citing national security concerns

India TV News  

India bans 119 Chinese apps from Google Play Store citing national security concerns The government has launched a digital strike, ordering the removal of 119 Chinese apps from the Google Play Store. The government has launched another digital crackdown, instructing the removal of 119 Chinese apps from the Google Play Store. This isn’t the first time; India initiated a digital …

Regulator takes action against apps for illegally collecting, using personal data
1 month, 1 week ago

Regulator takes action against apps for illegally collecting, using personal data

China Daily  

China's top cyber regulator said on Wednesday that a total of 82 apps have recently been ordered to be taken down or rectified for illegally collecting and using personal information. In a news release, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that upon investigation, four apps were found to not publicly disclosing their rules for collecting and using personal information and …

Regulator takes action against apps for illegally collecting, using personal data
1 month, 1 week ago

Regulator takes action against apps for illegally collecting, using personal data

China Daily  

China's top cyber regulator said on Wednesday that a total of 82 apps have recently been ordered to be taken down or rectified for illegally collecting and using personal information. In a news release, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that upon investigation, four apps were found to not publicly disclosing their rules for collecting and using personal information and …

36 Banned Chinese apps in India, now available on Google Play Store and App Store
1 month, 2 weeks ago

36 Banned Chinese apps in India, now available on Google Play Store and App Store

India TV News  

Chinese apps make a comeback in India: In 2020, India banned several Chinese apps due to security concerns. Following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps, including UC Browser, Shein, and TikTok, citing security risks. Popular apps that have returned Many of the previously banned apps are now available again, either under a new …

Many banned Chinese apps make comeback in India: Will TikTok return?
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Many banned Chinese apps make comeback in India: Will TikTok return?

India Today  

Many of the Chinese apps that were banned in 2020 following the India-China border tensions have made a return to the Play Store in India as diplomatic relations between the two countries improve. With the evolving political landscape, the return of some of the banned Chinese apps - the question on everyone's mind is: Will TikTok make a comeback to …

Many banned Chinese apps re-appear as India-China ties warm up
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Many banned Chinese apps re-appear as India-China ties warm up

India Today  

Remember hundreds of Chinese apps were banned in 2020? After four years, India Today's Open-Source Intelligence team reviewed more than 200 of the banned mobile applications and found that original or clone versions of at least 36 of them were available either on Google's Play Store or Apple's App Store or on both platforms as of February 10. Similarly, Xender …

Chinese AI DeepSeek R1 banned over data theft concerns: All you need to know
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Chinese AI DeepSeek R1 banned over data theft concerns: All you need to know

India TV News  

DeepSeek R1 faces ban amid spying allegations: DeepSeek R1, a Chinese AI model that gained rapid popularity in a very short span has now been banned over allegations of sending user data to China. China faces repeated data theft allegations The banned app Lemon8 which belongs to TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance- has already been accused of misusing user data. As …

TikTok: A Chinese trojan horse in democracies
2 months, 1 week ago

TikTok: A Chinese trojan horse in democracies

Firstpost  

TikTok’s algorithmic manipulation is to curate China’s peaceful intentions, glorify China’s developmental experience, blunt criticism of the communist party, and promote tourism in China while painting others as declining powers, aggressors, or even incompetent Even though China debarred global social internet sites like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yahoo, and others more than a decade ago, the issue of proscription of …

5 Years of TikTok Ban in India: Which countries have banned the app and why?
2 months, 1 week ago

5 Years of TikTok Ban in India: Which countries have banned the app and why?

India TV News  

India’s ban on TikTok completed five years in January 2025 and marks the move as a significant milestone in the global flight over the app’s controversial nature. ByteDance-owned TikTok ban was a part of a broader move towards addressing the concerns over national security, cyber threats and online content regulation which were not matching with the security protocol of the …

TikTok back in US: A look at its India journey and what happened after 2020 ban
2 months, 1 week ago

TikTok back in US: A look at its India journey and what happened after 2020 ban

Live Mint  

From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, video-sharing app TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform an ordinary person into a global celebrity when a video goes viral. TikTok’s India journey and govt ban Indian users had flocked to TikTok as early as 2017. Citing national security concerns, India banned TikTok along with more than 50 other …

TikTok ban: Why did India ban TikTok five years ago?
2 months, 1 week ago

TikTok ban: Why did India ban TikTok five years ago?

The Hindu  

TikTok, the popular short-video app, was just about to face a shut down in the U.S. after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the app to be sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance or banned on Sunday in the United States on national security grounds but Donald Trump came to the rescue, giving them more time to find an approved …

How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app
2 months, 1 week ago

How TikTok became the world’s most controversial app

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app …

Good morning, America: Why India banned TikTok 5 years back
2 months, 1 week ago

Good morning, America: Why India banned TikTok 5 years back

India Today  

On January 19, 2025, millions of American users who logged into TikTok were left stunned after getting a pop-up message declaring the app was temporarily unavailable. TikTok officially suspended its services in the United States on Sunday after a landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s decision to ban the app, citing national security concerns. WHEN INDIA …

Amid 'ban' on TikTok over data concerns, Americans rush to another Chinese app 'Red Note': What happened
2 months, 1 week ago

Amid 'ban' on TikTok over data concerns, Americans rush to another Chinese app 'Red Note': What happened

Op India  

With the imminent ban on TikTok in the United States, users of the video-sharing app in the North American country are migrating to yet another Chinese app named Xiaohongshu. pic.twitter.com/UTxkeQ7Bhy — Han Shawnity 🇺🇸 January 17, 2025 When India banned Chinese apps and the rationale behind the decision In 2024, a leading security expert Tzeng Yi-suo explained, “Information security risks …

TikTok faces a survival test in US that began in India
2 months, 2 weeks ago

TikTok faces a survival test in US that began in India

Firstpost  

The story of TikTok’s many legal challenges began in India when the country imposed a total ban on the platform in 2020 following New Delhi’s simmering geopolitical tensions with Beijing Will TikTok continue to host thousands of content creators in the US or not is up to the Supreme Court’s hearing on Friday that would either force its Chinese owner …

TikTok ban: Why the ByteDance app might actually get banned from the U.S.
2 months, 2 weeks ago

TikTok ban: Why the ByteDance app might actually get banned from the U.S.

Slate  

This article was republished from the Rip Current by Jacob Ward and has been lightly edited for Slate. In fact, as the Supreme Court prepares to take up the question of TikTok’s continued existence in the United States on Friday, around the world the executives of dozens of companies, having read the headlines, are undoubtedly waking up sweating in the …

Banning TikTok won’t solve your data-security problem
Trending News
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Banning TikTok won’t solve your data-security problem

Live Mint  

During last year’s presidential campaign, Kamala Harris regularly posted on TikTok, encouraging voters to follow her on the platform, as did Joe Biden before he withdrew. he wrote on Truth Social last week, above a bar graph that showed his TikTok views outpacing not only Ms. Harris’s but also those of Tucker Carlson and Taylor Swift. As Scientific American reported …

These apps are a headache for India's security agencies. Here's why
3 months, 1 week ago

These apps are a headache for India's security agencies. Here's why

India Today  

WhatsApp and Telegram may be your default messaging applications of choice, but they are not for everyone. Zangi is among 14 mobile applications that were “banned” in India by the government in May last year, as several publications reported at the time, citing sources. Unlike other popular messaging apps, Zangi, Threema, nandbox, Safeswiss, Element, and Briar don’t require users to …

Why does the US want to ban TikTok: List of allegations against the app
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Why does the US want to ban TikTok: List of allegations against the app

Hindustan Times  

A US federal appeals court has upheld a law mandating that ByteDance, the Chinese company behind the popular short-video app TikTok, must divest its US operations by early next year or face a potential ban. TikTok has said "an entity affiliated with the Chinese government owns 1% of a ByteDance subsidiary, Douyin Information Service," and says the holding "has no …

US Govt Lawyers Say TikTok Collected User Data Around Specific Subjects: All Details
8 months ago

US Govt Lawyers Say TikTok Collected User Data Around Specific Subjects: All Details

News 18  

WASHINGTON: In a fresh broadside against one of the world’s most popular technology companies, the Justice Department is accusing TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion. TikTok employees used Lark to send sensitive data about U.S. users, information that has wound up being …

This country banned TikTok. What became of its influencers?
8 months, 2 weeks ago

This country banned TikTok. What became of its influencers?

LA Times  

Is there life after TikTok? “When it got banned, I had nothing,” recalled Gaurav Jain, who was one of the country’s more than 200 million TikTok users. “I don’t think the average TikTok user has synthesized in their brain that this is going away,” said Lawrence Vincent, associate professor of the practice of marketing at USC’s Marshall School of Business. …

X banned almost 180,000 Indian accounts recently: Know-why?
10 months, 2 weeks ago

X banned almost 180,000 Indian accounts recently: Know-why?

India TV News  

X has recently banned around 1.8 lakh Indian accounts which were sounding alarmed. Over the past few months, the platform has taken stringent action against more than 180,000 Indian accounts which were involved in suspicious activity. Impact of IT Rules 2021 Under the new IT Rules 2021, X released monthly reports on account bans and user complaints. Understanding rules and …

The ghosts of India's TikTok: What happens when a social media app is banned
11 months ago

The ghosts of India's TikTok: What happens when a social media app is banned

BBC  

The ghosts of India's TikTok: What happens when a social media app is banned Getty Images TikTok was one of India's most popular apps – until it was banned in 2020. Banning a massive social media app would be an unprecedented moment in American tech history, though the looming court battle currently leaves TikTok's fate uncertain. When TikTok went offline …

TikTok may be banned in the US. Here’s what happened when India did it
11 months ago

TikTok may be banned in the US. Here’s what happened when India did it

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — The hugely popular Chinese app TikTok may be forced out of the U.S., where a measure to outlaw the video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. In June 2020, TikTok users in India bid goodbye to the app, which is operated by Chinese internet firm ByteDance. The …

US House passes bill that can force China's ByteDance to either sell TikTok or get banned
1 year ago

US House passes bill that can force China's ByteDance to either sell TikTok or get banned

Op India  

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that can force the Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of the short video app TikTok, to either sell TikTok to a US-based company or get banned in the country. The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the …

India is the first country to ban TikTok over security concerns
1 year ago

India is the first country to ban TikTok over security concerns

India TV News  

As the US House of Representatives passed legislation which could lead to a ban on TikTok, a short format video sharing platfrom which has around 170 million American users, it was the Indian government which first decided to block the platform in the world. The government blocked TikTok along with other 59 Chinese applications because of security concerns. In 2020, …

Chinese hackers breached immigration data from Indian government: Report
1 year, 1 month ago

Chinese hackers breached immigration data from Indian government: Report

Hindustan Times  

Hacking groups based in China have breached 95.2 gigabytes of immigration data from the Indian government as the country continues to be one of the prime targets of Beijing hackers, an investigation by The Washington Post revealed. Chinese hackers reportedly breached Indian immigration data The Washington Post published a report on Thursday which said that a trove of documents was …

What’s really at stake in the US moves to target TikTok?
1 year, 2 months ago

What’s really at stake in the US moves to target TikTok?

Al Jazeera  

US lawmakers’ determination to limit the digital space raises crucial questions about who gets to tell the story Who owns the narrative? After Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, young American users of TikTok looking to understand US involvement in the Middle East appear to have unearthed Osama bin Laden’s post-9/11 “Letter to America”. The furore over …

Govt of India bans over 100 fraudulent Chinese websites in crackdown on China-operated financial scams
1 year, 3 months ago

Govt of India bans over 100 fraudulent Chinese websites in crackdown on China-operated financial scams

Firstpost  

The government of India has banned over 100 Chinese-operated investment scam websites. These websites were found to be intricately linked to multiple bank accounts, with funds being transferred between accounts to confuse investigating agencies In a decisive move against financial fraud, the Government of India has launched a comprehensive initiative to ban over 100 Chinese-operated investment scam websites that have …

NewsClick controversy: Did China shift its propaganda from phone apps to media?
1 year, 7 months ago

NewsClick controversy: Did China shift its propaganda from phone apps to media?

India Today  

Until last year the central government banned over 250 Chinese apps citing them to be “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India”. In a first, ED ‘uncovers’ China-media link The central probe agency’s recent action against digital news website NewsClick -- first against any media firm -- uncovered the alleged involvement of the site in peddling pro-China information in …

India should be pragmatic about huge Chinese investments
1 year, 7 months ago

India should be pragmatic about huge Chinese investments

Live Mint  

Officially, India would love to do business with China. BYD’s proposal ran afoul of a 2020 amendment to India’s foreign direct investment policy that made government approval mandatory for any investment originating from a country with which India shares a land border. India’s trade with China declined – albeit marginally – in the first half of 2023 after more than …

TikTok ban in US? Lawmakers to move ahead with bill amid China surveillance row
2 years ago

TikTok ban in US? Lawmakers to move ahead with bill amid China surveillance row

Live Mint  

Amid growing calls for a TikTok ban, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated on Sunday that it would move forward with legislation to ‘protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party’. The development comes mere days after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled by US lawmakers about national security and other concerns involving the app. Western …

17 crore citizens' data leaked, details sold at ₹2k: T'gana Cops
2 years ago

17 crore citizens' data leaked, details sold at ₹2k: T'gana Cops

Hindustan Times  

The Cyberabad Police in Telangana have recently busted a gang involved in the data theft and sale of sensitive information of government and important organisations. The arrested seven members of the gang allegedly stole details of 2.55 lakh defence personnel and 16.8 crore citizens of India, PTI reported. Cyberabad Police commissioner M Stephen Raveendra was quoted by PTI as saying …

China defends TikTok, says it does not ask companies to ‘hand over data’
2 years ago

China defends TikTok, says it does not ask companies to ‘hand over data’

Hindustan Times  

Beijing said Friday that it does not ask companies to hand over data gathered overseas, as Chinese-owned TikTok faces calls for a ban in the United States. China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country, in a way that violates local law", foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told …

TikTok CEO grilled in connection with China, calls India's ban 'hypothetical'
2 years ago

TikTok CEO grilled in connection with China, calls India's ban 'hypothetical'

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington : TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before US Congress amid growing security concerns and potential Chinese government influence over the company. During a four-hour long hearing, Chew time and again stressed that the TikTok app, which is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance, has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government and …

Why TikTok’s security risks keep raising fears
2 years ago

Why TikTok’s security risks keep raising fears

Associated Press  

The battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok came into full view on Thursday when the social media platform’s CEO testified before Congressional lawmakers. Both the FBI and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data — such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers — with China’s authoritarian government. Officials fear …

TikTok employees can still access Indian users data despite ban: Report
2 years ago

TikTok employees can still access Indian users data despite ban: Report

Hindustan Times  

Despite China's app TikTok has been banned by Centre for around three years now, the employees of the short-video sharing platform and its Beijing-based parent, ByteDance can still access the personal data of Indian users, says a report from Forbes. The report claims that anyone at the companies with simple access to their tools can retrieve and analyse specific information …

Despite getting banned in 2020, TikTok still has access to data of Indian users
2 years ago

Despite getting banned in 2020, TikTok still has access to data of Indian users

Firstpost  

Almost three years after TikTok’s largest market, India, banned the Chinese-owned social media app due to geopolitical tensions, a Forbes report has revealed that troves of personal data from Indian citizens who used TikTok are still widely accessible to employees at the company and its Beijing-based parent, ByteDance. According to the employee, almost anyone with rudimentary access to the businesses’ …

China criticizes possible US plan to force TikTok sale
2 years ago

China criticizes possible US plan to force TikTok sale

Associated Press  

BEIJING — China’s government said Thursday it would oppose possible U.S. plans to force TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the short-video service as a security risk and warned such a move would hurt investor confidence in the United States. A forced sale “would seriously damage investors from multiple countries including China” and hurt “confidence to invest in the United States,” …

TikTok still has access to data of millions of Indian users, new report reveals
2 years ago

TikTok still has access to data of millions of Indian users, new report reveals

India Today  

It has been more than three years since TikTok was banned in India. "I don't think Indians are aware of how much of their data is exposed to China right now, even with the ban in place," a TikTok employee told Forbes.The report further highlighted that anyone at the company with basic access to its tools can retrieve and analyze …

US, UK, New Zealand and more... Why are these countries banning TikTok?
2 years ago

US, UK, New Zealand and more... Why are these countries banning TikTok?

Firstpost  

More than one billion people use TikTok to watch its brief video posts globally, demonstrating its enormous popularity. United States According to AP, this week, the U.S. said that government agencies have 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. United Kingdom British authorities said Thursday that they are banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app …

No 10 defends ‘proportionate’ Government phones TikTok ban after China criticism
2 years ago

No 10 defends ‘proportionate’ Government phones TikTok ban after China criticism

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Downing Street said the decision to ban TikTok from Government phones …

China appeals for fair treatment after latest TikTok bans
2 years ago

China appeals for fair treatment after latest TikTok bans

Associated Press  

BEIJING — China appealed Friday to other governments to treat its companies fairly after Britain and New Zealand joined the United States in restricting use of TikTok due to fears the Chinese-owned short video service might be a security risk. Governments are worried TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, might give browsing history or other data about users to China’s government or promote …

‘Creative Imagination’: Govt Denies Report on New Security Testing for Smartphones
2 years ago

‘Creative Imagination’: Govt Denies Report on New Security Testing for Smartphones

News 18  

The Central government has denied a news report by Reuters stating that it is likely to force smartphones makers to permit the removal of pre-installed applications and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules, calling it “unfettered creative imagination”. “Story is based on lack of understanding perhaps n unfettered creative imagination that is based an …

Biden administration demands TikTok’s Chinese owners spin off their share or face US ban
2 years ago

Biden administration demands TikTok’s Chinese owners spin off their share or face US ban

CNN  

Washington CNN — The Biden administration has threatened to ban TikTok from the United States unless the app’s Chinese owners agree to spin off their share of the social media platform, TikTok acknowledged Wednesday evening. The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, …

India May Ask Smartphone Makers to Allow Removal of Pre-installed Apps, Says Report
2 years ago

India May Ask Smartphone Makers to Allow Removal of Pre-installed Apps, Says Report

News 18  

The Central government is likely to force the makers of smartphones to permit the removal of pre-installed applications and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules, as per Reuters. It is a matter of national security.” The new rules is likely to extend launch timelines in the world’s No.2 smartphone market and lead to losses …

Chinese apps were banned because…: Foreign Secretary explains
2 years ago

Chinese apps were banned because…: Foreign Secretary explains

Hindustan Times  

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Saturday said that the Chinese applications were banned in India to stop the spread of misinformation, the spread of disinformation, and fake information. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra "To answer your question on what's the interface that government has, to balance the availability of information, availability of misinformation, the spread of disinformation and fake information, …

Why TikTok is being banned on gov’t phones in US and beyond
2 years ago

Why TikTok is being banned on gov’t phones in US and beyond

Associated Press  

The United States is ratcheting up national security concerns about TikTok, mandating that all federal employees delete the Chinese-owned social media app from government-issued mobile phones. Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states had already banned TikTok amid concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, would give user data — such as browsing history …

China says TikTok ban reflects US insecurities
2 years, 1 month ago

China says TikTok ban reflects US insecurities

Associated Press  

BEIJING — U.S. government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washington’s own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. “How unsure of itself can the U.S., the world’s top superpower, be to fear a young person’s favorite app to such a degree?” The White House is giving all federal agencies, …

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