US says ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na’ to TikTok; India sticks to its bold decision to ban platform

While US has made a complete U-turn from its decision within hours, India still continues to block TikTok in the country -- 4 years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government banned more than 50 other Chinese companies-owned apps due to "security" concerns

On Sunday, January 19, 2025, US citizens were in for a rude shock when a message popped up saying, “TikTok isn’t available right now”.

The short video- and reel-sharing platform TikTok was taken down in the US after the lawmakers upheld the government’s decision to block the platform in America, citing security and sovereignty concerns as the reason behind the ban.

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However, the ban has been revoked after the US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to “work with the company to find a solution” after he assumes office on Monday.

Meanwhile, a statement was posted by TikTok on X, thanking the US President, and further said that the company “will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States”.

India continues ban on TikTok

While US has made a complete U-turn from its decision within a few hours, India still continues to ban the social media platform in the country. It has been over 4 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government banned TikTok and more than 50 other Chinese companies-owned apps due to “data security” concerns.

The government’s bold decision of June 29, 2020, comes weeks after the Indian and Chinese troops clashed on June 15, 2020, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh, during which around 20 Indian soldiers were killed. In response to this serious breach of security along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian government has decided to abruptly ban over 50 Chinese apps and platforms in the country.

The Ministry of Information Technology issued a statement then to the effect and shared that “in view of the emergent nature of threats” the government has taken a strong decision “to block 59 apps… in view of the information available, they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

With more than 200 million active users in 2020, ByteDance, which owned TikTok, faced a major setback in terms of not only revenue but also user base. Subsequently, TikTok and other banned apps removed from App store and Google Play. Indian Telecom providers also made sure that access to the app was blocked.