India on Monday said it has blocked Tiktok and dozens of other apps mostly from China. The move followed a recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers along disputed borders of the two countries in the Galwan river Valley that claimed the lives of about 20 Indian soldiers.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology listed 59 apps in total posing a security threat. The statement issued by the Ministry said the technology poses a threat to India’s national security and public order.

“In view of information available, they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order,” the statement said.

The statement explained that the Ministry had received several complaints about apps on both iOS and Playstore “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.”

It added that “the compilation of these data, its mining, and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India… is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.”

The banned apps include WeChat, Weibo, and Tencent’s QQ. The development is coming at a time when TikTok and other Chinese apps are enjoying a huge patronage in India.

India is TikTok’s biggest market with over 660 million installs, commanding a booming generation of people thriving on the app, who have been charmed by its features, including the ability to create contents. The ban could massively affect the fortune of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, which reported $5.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2020.

It could also throw hundreds of workers out of job, and Kevin Mayer who was recently appointed TikTok’s CEO will face the challenge of driving the company out of revenue plunge if the ban lasts for long.

Though there is a global surge in TikTok’s downloads, with over two billion all time global downloads recorded in May, the short video clip app will be impacted heavily if it loses its presence in India. Bytedance is reportedly considering going public on the Hong Kong stock exchange, after recording 130% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts said Tiktok’s IPO is valued between $150 billion and $180 billion.

Therefore, Indian ban is a development the company needs to avoid at all cost. Nikhil Gandhi, Head of TikTok, India said the company is complying with the authorities to work out a solution.

“We have been invited to meet with concerned government stakeholders for an opportunity to respond and submit clarification. TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and has not shared any information of our users in India 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,” he said.

Inadvertently, TikTok is gradually becoming part of the tech companies to get caught up in the censorship politics that has shaped internet development in the past few years. Its Chinese origin has become a dent to its global dominance like mobile network technology company, Huawei. While the US has kept TikTok under surveillance, it’s been hoping to find solace in other countries including India with a huge population and adorable market size.

The US-China trade and political tension has triggered global paranoia in doing business with tech companies of Chinese origin. In the wake of the struggle by many countries to hold off US pressure urging them to shun Chinese companies for security reasons; last month’s border incident has created an excuse for India to strike.

While the decision to ban TikTok has forced about 2,000 people out of job, it has created an opportunity of growth to Indian owned apps. Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO in Bengaluru that operates two digital platforms, Glance and Roposo joined other internet companies’ executives in India in hailing the ban.

He said the ban offers his companies the chance to grow, as many of TikTok’s users are already thinking of alternatives in order to stay relevant online and retain their huge followership.

“The first thing we’re doing is just to assure the millions of users of TikTok that they have a platform that is homegrown. They can absolutely come there and continue their entertainment that they always had, probably in a slightly more responsible way,” Mr. Tewari said.

But TikTok has been here before. In April last year, the app was temporarily banned in India for allowing pornography and videos encouraging violence against women. Though this time, the case is politically different, TikTok’s executives are hoping to work out a solution with the Indian authorities in a shortest possible time.

Events in my life and how my life has turned out taught me something. And that is to value the little incremental changes in my life. Those little-incremental changes compound over time if you have staying power.

When I entered University, I did not have a dream, goal or any of sort. For me, it was the next thing to do after secondary school.

But I encountered books and that changed the narrative for me.

The thing is I did not know about the changed narrative until like 5-years later. That was when I started seeing the effects of all the late-night reading, the little money spent on books, the times of borrowing books to read.

All compounded to make who I am today. And since I’m seeing results now, I am even more ready to make those little incremental changes towards a better me.

The message of Jesus in the Bible is profound. Jesus operated under the assumption that ignorance is bondage which indeed it is. That was why he said: “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

For Jesus as well, any kind of knowledge is not enough, it has to be the knowledge of the truth. That alone can set free from the bondage of ignorance.

As the Bible admonishes, the truth (knowledge) is something you have to constantly search for. Without it, you remain in bondage and blind.

I like the words of Daniel when he said: “And I Daniel understood by books.” That understanding led to the beginning of liberation for the Israelite in the then Babylon that enslaved them.

Paul admonished Timothy to study and show himself approved as a workman that is not ashamed of his duty.

Paul himself was a well-read one. Standing before King Agrippa for judgment, he got what I called the best compliment ever given by a man to Paul. “Paul, Paul, much learning has made you mad,” said King Agrippa after listening to Paul dissect history.

The task ahead of every human is simple but I will not claim it is easy. Evolutionary biologist claims not much has changed from our DNA in thousands of years. The implication of that is that we still much think and respond to a stimulus like our ancestors.

The task ahead of each individual is to simply be a better version of themselves every day long.

Yet, because once we are of age, changes that we make to ourselves are less physical and more mental they seem to be difficult to notice. Difficult to notice translates to less desirable. Our DNA is not wired for such a process.

But we must commit to it. But we must attempt it. But we must do it.

When I look back and see the many people whose lives have become better because of what I do, I marvel. I also imagined what would their life look like if I wasn’t who I am becoming.

Imagine many people whose lives will be better because you are better as well.

Each of our life is a movie and in that movie, we are individually the hero.

My goal is to be part of that movie of yours. And while I can’t be the hero in your movie, I look to be the one who helped you realize how heroic you are.

If you aim to be a better version of yourself and invariably play a role in other people’s movies, the place of knowledge can’t be emphasized enough.

You see, while we were growing a lot of changes that happened to us is a divide between physical and mental. You learned to walk and speak & you grew teeth and bigger body. But that’s about it that matters.

After all that, what’s left for you is mental development. Because as an adult your physical growth won’t count much any longer. The world need value to come out of you.

“My people perish for lack of knowledge” is another verse in the Bible that I like.

Developing mental capacity means you make better decisions, invariably, a better life. Bad decisions can lead to ruin.

Happiness comes from a lot of things, one of such is seeing that because of you someone didn’t give up. Because of you, someone won.

Again, the task ahead of you is simple, but I will never conclude nor assume it is easy. Your DNA wasn’t wired for such a task to be a free flow.

The task is to embrace little incremental changes in your life every day. Because such changes are mental, they are difficult to notice and may be discouraging. But understand that those changes compound. The beginning of compounding is always not interesting. Even so, the few who persevere and wait through will reap abundantly.

“The cowards never started, and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.”

– Phil Knight

Us, my friend is all that’s left.

Let’s make a difference together while we still can.

I share my stories to help others.

I hope you have been helped?