TikTok To Set up International Data Centre In India

TikTok , a social media app that took the Indian online space by storm, might soon have its own data centre in the country. The news was shared by ByteDance, the China-based parent company that owns the TikTok, to Business Standard. ByteDance is the same internet company that also owns Helo, another social-networking platform. The decision to open data centres in India is in line with the Government of India's focus on data localization of such applications that store huge chunks of digital data of Indian citizens.

The Business Standard report also mentions that the company has set an internal target of 6-18 months to set up its first data centre in India. Until now, the data of Indian users was stored at third-party data centres in the US and Singapore.

We reached out to TikTok to gain some more clarity on the matter. The ByteDance team informed that the company is in the process of examining options for safe, secure and reliable services for our Indian users within India's borders. The company is looking forward to having a more active dialogue with relevant stakeholders and setting new benchmarks along the way.

We also enquired about the fact that how the local data centres will benefit Indian users. The team replied," India is one of our strongest markets and we are happy to be part of the mainframe of Digital India in 15 Indian languages. In line with our commitment to India, we are investing $1 billion dollars in India over the next three years, with a strategic focus on developing technology infrastructure, establishing local partnerships and supporting initiatives such as the Skill India Program which we are proud to be assisting with already".

Notably, TikTok and Helo application were recently issued a notice by the Centre and were asked to reply to a few set of questions regarding the alleged misuse of their platforms for "anti-national activities" in India. Both applications even faced a ban in some parts of the country. The Government of India asked 21 questions in the recently issued notice to TikTok. The notice was issued after RSS affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch filed a complaint which states that TikTok is being used by people to spread anti-national messages and hate speeches.

Notably, TikTok is also being criticized widely for its borderline sexual content. The Madras High Court recently suggests a ban on TikTok, saying the app "encourages pornography". TikTok was quick to respond on the comment and took action by denying users below 13 years to login and create an account on the platform.

TikTok responded on the matter by saying, "We take our responsibilities to this community seriously and welcome this opportunity to fully collaborate with the Government to meet and exceed our obligations."

Recently merged with Musical.ly, TikTok has witnessed an explosive growth in India. The application is hugely popular in India with over 120 million active users. The short-video creation platform recently crossed 1 billion downloads on Android and iOS platforms.

We would like to understand your opinion on the use of short-video creation platforms like TikTok and the content offered by them. Should the app-developers be considered responsible? Or is it the users who own the right to create the content? Let us know in the comments.