Technology
TikTok surpasses Facebook, becomes most downloaded app worldwide
The Chinese video-sharing app, TikTok has been named as the world's most downloaded app in 2020, overtaking Facebook and its other platforms, a survey revealed.
TikTok is believed to have one billion users worldwide including more than 100 million in the United States.
As per details, Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey started in 2018 and the company still dominated the chart as overall seven of the top 10 most downloaded apps in the world in 2020 are developed by US firms out of which four apps are owned by one single company, ranked among the top five— Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
The video-sharing platform is the only app which is not owned by Facebook and made it to global top five of downloads.
TikTok's popularity has prompted Facebook-owned Instagram to add video features to ride the hot trend.
Last week, it emerged that the company is trialling a new vanishing clips feature similar to functions on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.
TikTok Stories will allow users to see content posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they are deleted.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, China's video-sharing platform had been blocked in the country over ‘inappropriate content’.
It is the fourth time that Pakistan's media regulator suspended TikTok’s services in country due to the content shared on the platform.
In October 2020, the PTA had banned TikTok for the first time over complaints regarding indecent and immoral content.
The government lifted ban 10 days later after assurance from the management that they would block all accounts repeatedly involved in spreading obscenity and immorality.
In March, the PTA had directed internet service providers to immediately block access to TikTok in accordance with the orders of the Peshawar High Court.
The PHC had imposed a temporary ban on the platform's functioning in the country on a petition filed by several citizens stating that the content shared on the application were in violation of Pakistan’s Constitution, guaranteeing social and moral well-being of citizens.
The ban, however, was lifted by the PHC a few weeks later, with a direction to the PTA to take steps to ensure that "immoral content" was not uploaded to the platform.