SC to entertain plea challenging ban on TikTok app over access to obscene content

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on April 15 a plea challenging a recent Madras High Court order directing the Centre to ban the "TikTok" app over concerns about access to pornographic content through it. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna agreed to hear the plea filed by Chinese company ByteDance, which said there were over billion downloads of the app and the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had passed an ex-parte order.

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court had, on April 3, directed the Centre to ban mobile application "TikTok" as it voiced concern over the "pornographic and inappropriate contents" being made available through such apps. It had directed the media not to telecast video clips made with TikTok. The app allows users to create short videos and then share them.

(With inputs from agencies.)