TIKTOK RESPONDS TO INDIA BAN

India's government banned dozens of Chinese-made apps including TikTok saying in a statement the apps were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order." This comes after a military clash this month between India and China along a disputed border left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.

TikTok has issued the following statement in response:

"Building empowered local management teams in the countries where TikTok operates, including India, has been critical to our global success. While the Government of India has issued an interim order to block 59 apps, our team of around 2,000 employees in India is committed to working with the government to demonstrate our dedication to user security and our commitment to the country overall. We are proud to provide hundreds of millions of users in India – and around the world – a creative platform for their stories, performances, education, and, often, a way to make their livelihood."

According to The New York Times, up to a third of TikTok's global users are based in India despite only half of its 1.3 billion citizens being online.