India’s government requested Google and Apple remove short video service TikTok from their app stores due to allegations it encourages pornography, The Economic Times (ET) reported.

The government acted after the Madras High Court ruled the app is endangering children and called for it to be banned. The court also stated local media should not broadcast videos created on TikTok, and the government should look into passing a law to protect children from cybercrimes.

While its ruling received no support from the Supreme Court, it did lead the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to ask for a ban.

This wouldn’t stop those who already have TikTok from using it, but will prevent more people from downloading it.

A source told ET Apple and Google must choose whether to enact the ban or appeal the government request.

TikTok parent ByteDance appealed the directive, telling the Supreme Court it cannot be held liable for actions of third parties on the platform. The app is no different from other social media platforms and singling it out is discriminatory and arbitrary, it argued.

Google and Apple have yet to comment, ET reported.

Past efforts
Last week, TikTok said it had removed more than 6 million videos in India since July 2018 for violating its community guidelines.

In February the US Federal Trade Commission hit TikTok with a $5.7 million fine for illegally collecting personal information from children: “This is the largest civil penalty ever obtained by the Commission in a children’s privacy case”, it stated at the time.