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Published 11:33 IST, July 19th 2020

TikTok impersonator 'TikTok Pro' app may spread malware; Himachal police issues warning

The Himachal Pradesh Cyber Crime Police Station on Sunday issued a warning against spam links being circulated regarding an app called 'TikTok Pro'

Reported by: Ananya Varma
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The Himachal Pradesh Cyber Crime Police Station on Sunday issued a warning against spam links being circulated regarding an app called 'TikTok Pro', asking people to refrain from opening such links or downloading such apps. Issuing an advisory, the HP Cyber Crime Department urged people to 'beware' of such links saying, "If in case you have received any message asking you to download the TikTok Pro app, we recommend you to ignore the same." 

On Saturday, the Punjab Police cybercrime cell issued a warning against downloading APK files that are designed to 'mimic' the TikTok app which has been banned in the country revealing that they could be sources of malware and could cause serious damage to the user's phone and digital security. "The fact that the fake app is not available for download either on Google Play Store or App Store clearly indicates it is a fraud," said the Punjab Police in a statement. 

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Read: TikTok Fined By Korean Watchdog For Collecting Data Of Children

Read: Punjab Police Cybercrime Cell Warns Against Fake 'TikTok Pro' App

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India bans 59 Chinese Apps

On June 29, the Home Ministry banned 59 Chinese Apps including TikTok, UC Browser, SHAREit and WeChat. The Centre stated that it has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of these apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The move also came amid the rising tensions between India and China following the violent faceoff along the LAC in Galwan valley. TikTok however, in particular, had raised red flags for its 'vulgar content' against women previously as well when the Madras High Court banned the app for a brief while in April 2019, for hosting 'pornographic and sleazy' content.

Read: Follow India’s Lead To Ban TikTok, Other Chinese Apps: US Congress Members Urge Trump

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Read: Plea Seeks TikTok Ban In Pakistan; 'Imran Will Ban Judge; China Will Invade,' Say Netizens

11:33 IST, July 19th 2020