Chinese app ban: After Mukul Rohatgi, advocate Aman Sinha refuses to represent TikTok

After former Attorney General of India (AG) Mukul Rohatgi expressed his unwillingness to take on Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok as a client following the ban imposed by the Centre on 59 China-origin apps, another senior advocate has said that he has refused to represent them.

"I was also requested through a junior lawyer to appear for Tik Tok which I have FLATLY REFUSED," advocate Aman Sinha wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mukul Rohatgi had said he has refused to represent TikTok, citing that he will not represent a Chinese company against the Government of India amid ongoing 'tense times'.

In its first response after the ban, TikTok had said that it was complying with the "interim order" of the government and that it would meet concerned government stakeholders for an "opportunity to respond and submit clarifications".

The Government of India took the call to ban 59 China-origin apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, ShareIt among other apps following several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India".

The ban on the Chinese apps comes in the backdrop of current stand-off along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh with the aggressive posture of Chinese troops. The list of apps that have been banned by the Modi government also includes WeChat, Helo, Likee, CamScanner, Vigo Video, Mi Video Call  Xiaomi, Clash of Kings as well as e-commerce platforms Club Factory and Shein.

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TikTok's first response after ban

In its statement, TikTok said that it was in the process of complying with the 'interim order' and that it had been invited to meet govt stakeholders to respond and submit clarifications. The statement further said that TikTok has democratized the internet by making it available in 14 Indian languages, with hundreds of millions of users, artists, storytellers, educators and performers depending on it for their livelihood, many of whom are first-time internet users.

"We have been invited to meet concerned government stakeholders for an opportunity to respond and submit clarifications. TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and has not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government," the statement reads.

"Further we are requested to in the future we would not do so. We place the highest importance on user privacy and integrity," it added.

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