Google and Apple have removed TikTok from their respective stores in India, one of the app’s biggest user bases, according toreports from Reuters and Quartz.
The move follows a request from the state court on April 3rd to ban access to TikTok on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store after concerns were raised that people were using it for pornographic purposes and exploiting children.
TikTok has been downloaded more than 230 million times in India, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. A TikTok representative told The Verge the company has “faith in the Indian judicial system,” adding that “we are optimistic about an outcome that would be well received by over 120 million monthly active users in India.”
The Indian state court’s investigation into TikTok has been ongoing for months. A third-party investigation into the app and earlier calls from the government led to people asking for TikTok to be banned entirely.
M. Manikandan, information technology minister of the Indian state Tamil Nadu, announced in February that the government would recommend the ban. There were concerns from lawmakers that TikTok encouraged teens and young adults to participate in cultural degradation.
