Google blocks the Chinese TikTok app in India following a court order

Google blocked access to India’s hugely popular TikTok video app to comply  with a state court directive banning downloads, a person with direct knowledge of the issue told Reuters on Tuesday.

The move comes hours after a court in the southern state of Tamil Nadu  denied a request by Bytedance Technology from China to suspend a ban on its  TikTok app, putting its future in doubt in one of its key markets.

The state court had on April 3 asked the federal government to ban TikTok, saying it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual predators. Its ruling came after an individual launched public interest litigation calling for a ban.

According to an official in the IT ministry, the government had sent a letter to Apple and Google to comply with the order of the state court.

Google said it’s not commenting on individual apps in a statement but  adhering to local laws. Apple has not responded to requests for comment,  while TikTok has not responded immediately to a request for comment on the move by  Google.