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An Indian ban on downloading TikTok , one of the world's most popular mobile applications, has heightened industry worries that technology companies could now face increased scrutiny and regulatory challenges in one of their most important markets. TikTok, which allows users to create and share videos with special effects, has become a sensation in India, where it has been downloaded by nearly 300 million users so far, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, out of more than 1 billion installs globally. Its runaway popularity has attracted criticism from some politicians, however, in a largely conservative society that can have a low boiling point for even moderately racy content. In the case of TikTok, 15-second dance clips and memes dominate the platform, although some videos do show youngsters, some scantily clad, lip-syncing and grooving to popular tunes. Local media have also reported several accidental deaths when users attempted to make videos with knives and...

Google has removed TikTok from its Play Store, some users reported Tuesday night, but the popular short video app was available on Apple's App Store. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology h ad asked Google and Apple to take down TikTok after the Madras High Court banned the app on April 3 for "pornographic and inappropriate content". Google, in an email response to Business Standard, said it does not comment on individual apps but adheres to local laws. Users who had the app will continue to be able to use it. The High Court, earlier on Tuesday, refused to remove its ban and appointed senior advocate Arvind Datar as an independent counsel to examine TikTok's implications. In an email statement, TikTok had said, "We welcome the decision of the Madras High Court to appoint Arvind Datar as Amicus Curae (independent counsel) to the court. We have faith in the Indian judicial system and we are optimistic about an outcome that would be w...