India's TikTok Alternative Thrives After Ban on Chinese Apps
NDTV
The central government banned TikTok in 2020 as part of a broader crackdown on Chinese tech services, which it says are a threat to its sovereignty and security.
Jiya Kiran Valambhia's success story as a social media influencer is a familiar one in the age of TikTok. Each day she uploads a short clip for her 300,000 followers featuring her doing dance moves such as the thumka hip shake or the dhak dhak chest thump, set to hit Bollywood songs.
Jiya, the daughter of a carpenter, earns about $500 a month by endorsing smartphone makers and online tutoring and gaming companies.
But because she lives in Jamnagar, a small town in western India, none of this happens on TikTok. The central government banned the app in 2020 as part of a broader crackdown on Chinese tech services, which it says are a threat to its sovereignty and security. So the 14-year-old Jiya uses Josh, a local app designed to mimic the TikTok experience.
The immediate trigger for the ban on Chinese tech products was clashes in June 2020 between the two countries' military forces. With tensions high after the incident, Indian officials said they feared Chinese-made consumer internet products such as TikTok and WeChat could be used for espionage.
