Google’s decision to block the app comes hours after an Indian state court denied a request from TikTok’s parent company to suspend the ban on its app. The state court asked the federal government to ban TikTok on April 3, citing concerns about its use in finding and distributing child pornography. The Indian government requested Apple and Google abide by the state court’s order. (Reuters)

Talking point: Despite criticism and concerns from local politicians about the content shared on the platform, TikTok continues to grow in popularity. The app has over 240 million downloads in the country—over 30 million downloads in January 2019, 12 times more than the same month in 2018. Facebook’s WhatsApp has also faced backlash and regulation in the country. In both cases, with government saying it wants access to the content shared on the platforms, issues of the potential impacts on free speech have been raised. While Google has complied, the TikTok app was still available on Apple’s platforms in the country late Tuesday.