TikTok ban can be lifted on April 24?
There is some good news coming in for TikTok fans in India.
The ban on the download of the app from Google Play store and Apple’s app store can be removed on April 24th, in case Madras High Court fails to do what Supreme Court has asked them to.
Keep reading to find out more.
Supreme Court: Madras High Court: TikTok Ban Will Be Removed If..
On April 4th, Madras High Court banned short video app TokTok, saying that youngsters are getting polluted, and the app is harming the society.
It was an interim ban, and immediately Govt. of India ordered Google and Apple to remove the app from their respective play stores. This means, that new users cannot download the app.
Now, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has told Madras High Court to take a final decision on the interim ban. If they fail to do so before April 24th, then the Supreme Cout will lift the ban imposed on TIkTok, and it will be freely available.
As per the legal experts, it is highly unlikely that Madras High Court will take a final decision on the ban, as the case is pending, and a lot of paperwork, evidence gathering and arguments are needed.
Moreover, Madras High Court didnt’t even listen to the arguments of Bytedance, the owners of the TikTok before passing the judgment of an interim ban.
Tiktok’s Defense: App Has Only 0.00006% Inappropriate Content
Bytedance, the owners of TikTok app has put forth their arguments in the Supreme Court, and this is the reason Supreme Court bench directed Madras Court regarding the final decision.
In their arguments, Bytedance has stated that the sudden ban by Madras HC violates Section 2(w) of the IT Act, which states that any mobile app or social media platform is an intermediary, not the source of the content. Besides, as per Section 79 of the IT Act, the platform like Facebook, Whatsapp, Tiktok cannot be held responsible for the actions done by the users of the app/platform.
Besides, Bytedance has revealed that they have already removed 60 million videos which were deemed objectionable, and right now, only 0.0006% of the videos can be described as objectionable.
The app has also been made available only for kids above 13 years.
Additionally, new users are anyways downloading the app from alternate sites, thereby bypassing Google and Apple’s play store.
Now, all eyes are set on Madras High Court.
We will keep you updated, as we receive more updates.
Also Read: India Bans TikTok: 3 Reasons Why This Is Illogical; And One Feasible Solution