TikTok India on Tuesday said it was "in process of complying" with government order, a day after the platform was banned in the country along with 58 other Chinese or China-linked apps.
"We have been invited to meet with concerned government stakeholders for an opportunity to respond and submit clarification," a statement by TikTok read.
It added, "TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and has not shared any information of our users with any foreign government, including the Chinese government. Further if we are requested to in the future we would not do so. We place the highest importance on user privacy and integrity." "
In an official statement, the IT Ministry said it has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India."
"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the statement said.
The government's move comes after the clash in Galwan Valley in Ladakh, which sparked a debate on the boycott of Chinese products and apps. People at a few places staged protests, demanding the government to ban the import of Chinese goods.