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Indonesia overturns ban on Tik Tok after video streaming service agrees to increase security controls

Tik Tok was the most downloaded app globally on Apple Inc’s app store in January-March and is particularly popular among young people

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Tik Tok is a hit with young people but the video streaming platform has come under pressure to add security controls and protect minors. Photo: Handout

Indonesia has overturned its ban on Chinese video app Tik Tok after it agreed to censor “negative content”, the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday.

Tik Tok, the most downloaded app globally on Apple Inc’s app store in January-March, is popular among young people for its home-made music videos. But access was blocked on July 3 by authorities in Indonesia, home to the world’s biggest Muslim population, for featuring content deemed pornographic and blasphemous.

Ministry of Communications spokesperson Noor Iza told Reuters the app was unblocked by the government on Tuesday.

According to a communications ministry letter seen by Reuters, the ban was overturned after Tik Tok agreed to clear “all negative content” from the app and open an office in Indonesia to liaise with the government over content.

The letter said that Tik Tok had agreed to increase the security mechanisms of the app and put additional restrictions on users aged 14-18 years.

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