February 22, 2025

People are talking about Tik Tok, the short video making and sharing app. They say that the app is not available for download anymore. After Madras High Court had banned it on April 3 and the government wrote to both Google and Apple to respect the courts’ order, both the companies have taken off the app from their respective stores. People say that the court’s reason for the ban (that the app encourages spread of pornography and obscene material and some users might target children) are specious considering the fact that there is no ban on other sites that purvey hardcore pornography.

Others say that while it is true that pornography can be easily accessed on the net but one has to visit the specific site by intention while a social media app like Tik Tok can take these short videos to millions of users in a flash. They say that there is a huge difference between the mode and reach of the two and the court was right in banning the app. Still others feel the ban is not right as the same videos can also be uploaded on WhatsApp with the same or even more reach. They also point out that similar apps are also in circulation (Like Video, for instance) and banning just Tik Tok is not going to serve the purpose as users will switch to others.

People say that with a stringent Information Technology Act in place, there is no need to throw the baby out with the bath water. They say that most things can be put to misuse and the solution is in punishing them that use it in a devious way rather than doing away with the thing. People are of the view that the Madras High Court should review its order and revoke the ban. It can direct the administration and the company to keep an eye on the misuse of the app and punish offenders.