Indonesia bans Chinese video app Tik Tok for ‘inappropriate content’
Tik Tok is popular among teenagers but some content has caused controversy
Indonesian authorities said on Wednesday they had banned Chinese video app Tik Tok for containing “pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy”.
The ban, which went into effect on Tuesday, is temporary and can be lifted after Tik Tok scrubs its content, said Minister of Communications and Information Rudiantara, who uses one name. Tik Tok, popular among young people for its quirky videos, was the most downloaded app in the Apple app store globally in the first quarter of 2018.
It is operated by venture-backed Toutiao, valued at more than US$30 billion according to sources and one of China’s fastest-growing tech start-ups. Toutiao, also known as ByteDance Technology, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
“The app has a lot of negative and harmful content, especially for children,” said Rudiantara.
“Once Tik Tok can give us guarantees they can maintain clean content, it can reopen.”