This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On July 2, 2020, India banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, Helo, and Likee, citing concerns over their impact on the country's sovereignty and integrity.
The move comes as India steps up economic pressure on China following a border battle in June 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a significant social media presence, closed his account on China's Weibo platform in support of the ban.
His account, which had over 115 posts, was deleted at the request of Indian authorities.
Sharechat, a local video-sharing platform, saw a massive surge in new users, with 15 million downloads in the 48 hours following the ban.
The platform now has over 150 million registered users.
"We welcome the move from the government against platforms that have had serious privacy, cyber-security and national security risks," said Berges Malu, public policy director for ShareChat.
Malu added that the ban would help create a level playing field for Indian platforms.
Roposo, another local video app, gained 10 million new subscribers, bringing its user base to 75 million.
Industry analysts believe that retaining the new followers will be the main challenge for Indian upstarts, which will now have to invest in staff and content to keep audiences.
