NEW DELHI: An Indian court has reversed a decision that ordered Google and Apple to take down Chinese-owned video app TikTok over the spread of pornographic material, local media said.
The controversial but wildly popular app allows users to upload and share short 15 second clips from their phones and claims to have 500 million users worldwide — more than 120 million of them in India.
It is already banned in neighboring Bangladesh and was hit with an enormous fine in the United States for illegally collecting information from children.
The Wednesday ruling by the Madras High Court in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state requires the popular platform to prevent “obscene videos” from being posted.
“(The court) warned if any controversial video violating its conditions were found uploaded using the app, it would be considered a contempt of court,” a report by the Press Trust of India agency said.
On April 16, India’s government demanded Google and Apple remove the service from its app stores, though the order did not stop those who had already downloaded the app from using it.
The case against TikTok was launched by an activist group that said the app encouraged paedophiles and pornography.
India’s government told the court on Wednesday that they had formed a committee to suggest ways to regulate apps like TikTok, PTI said.
TikTok told the court that they had removed around six million controversial videos from the platform since the order was announced banning new downloads last week.
The app hit the headlines in India earlier in April after a 19-year-old man was accidentally shot dead by a friend in Delhi as they posed with a pistol to make a video on the platform.
TikTok has become a major rival to Facebook, Instagram and other social network sites among teenaged smartphone users in the past year.
Bangladesh banned TikTok in February as part of a clampdown on Internet pornography.
The same month, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said a $5.7 million fine ordered against the company was the largest imposed in a child privacy investigation.
The social network failed to obtain parental consent from underage users as required by the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, FTC officials said.
India court reverses TikTok app restrictions
India court reverses TikTok app restrictions
- It is already banned in neighboring Bangladesh and was hit with an enormous fine in the US
- The case against TikTok was launched by an activist group that said the app encouraged paedophiles and pornography
Saudi Arabia strengthens global ranking in 2026 Soft Power Index
- UAE maintains 10th place, Qatar climbs 2 spots
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia climbed three positions to 17th place in this year’s Soft Power Index, released on Tuesday by marketing consultancy Brand Finance.
Other Gulf nations also performed well, with the UAE maintaining its 10th-place ranking and Qatar and Bahrain each climbing two spots to No. 20 and No. 49, respectively, marking a rebound for the region after a softer showing in 2025.
The report indicates that the performance reflects sustained investment in proactive diplomacy, economic diversification and expanded initiatives across culture, tourism and sports.
It also comes at a time when several Western powers are recording declines in their rankings, highlighting the growing influence of Gulf states.
“The UAE remains a clear regional leader, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have strengthened their global positions through focused economic diplomacy and international engagement,” said Savio D’Souza, managing director for the Middle East and Africa, Brand Finance.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE either maintained or improved their rankings across all key pillars, including familiarity, reputation and influence.
The Kingdom recorded notable gains, with increases of 25 points in the People & Values pillar and 12 points in the Culture & Heritage pillar.
“Although perceptions across some markets remain mixed, renewed upward movement in the rankings suggests that targeted, long-term soft power strategies are beginning to pay off,” D’Souza said.
Globally, the US retained its top position despite recording the steepest overall decline in its score, followed by China in second place. Japan rose to third place, overtaking the UK, which ranked fourth, while Germany placed fifth.
Brand Finance defines “soft power” as a “nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.”
Each nation is assessed across 55 individual metrics, producing an overall score out of 100 and a ranking from first to 193rd.
