We all know that in the aftermath of the China-India border skirmish the Government of India has banned fifty nine Chinese apps over concerns on the safety and security of user data and privacy of citizens. There has been widespread support of the decision among the public. But all decisions have some pros and cons. The decision to ban apps has apparently affected some groups in the country. Many teenagers are upset particularly about the ban of two affordable online shopping platforms— Shein and Club Factory. But the worst affected group is TikTok users. TikTok is a Chinese creative video sharing social networking service app which is used to create short dance, lip sync, comedy performances. It has over twelve crore users across the country, preceded only by China and the USA. TikTok’s rank is just after Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Now people can neither use it nor download from the play stores. Most people are happy about the ban of TikTok. But it has hit hard those who by being certified TikTokers were earning from it.

TikTok celebrities like Jannat Zubair, Riya Kishanchandani, Ashnoor Kaur and many more, who have over one million followers, have applauded the decision of the government. They have stated that the app was just for entertainment purpose through which some of them tried to give good contents— self-help, DIY videos, lifestyles, tech-hacks and lots more— to their audience. TikTok also provided many opportunities to common people. Some of them had joined the app one or two years ago after quitting their stable jobs. They had confidence about the prospects of the app and found by it a new and interesting job to entertain the followers and brand endorsements. They are in distress as there are only two paths opened to them— either join the YouTube platform or apply for jobs. The netizens are busy sharing hilarious memes, funny posts, GIFs and insulting the state of the users at present. But in one way trolling them for ‘unemployment’ during this pandemic situation is a form of apathy. Those who were earning from TikTok was not doing anything illegal— till the ban— and it is better to be sympathetic about their plight in such trying times. The TikTokers are urging their fans to follow them in their other social media accounts. The ban came into effect on 29 June. The TikTokers have started using Instagram and YouTube links to pursue their craft.

In India more than around 660 million people have installed the TikTok app since 2017. This is the second time TikTok faced trouble with the Indian government. This application was blocked last year after the court ruled that it could expose children to sexual predators, pornography and cyber bullying. It was reinstated a week later after it successfully appealed the court.

Following Prime Minister Modi’s ‘atmanirbharata’ policy some people have started looking for new digital homes. The homegrown short-video application ‘Chingari’ claims that after the ban of TikTok, it has gained tremendous number of followers. It has crossed 3.5 million downloads and around one lakh download per hour since then. ‘Mitron’, another app like TikTok, is in the market. But the domestic app lack the trending filters and have some user-interface issues. Sometimes the phones hang after using it. The app developers have stated that it will take a few more months to be better than the Chinese apps. Hopefully the claim comes true.