ByteDance, the Chinese company behind popular short-video app TikTok and messaging app Helo, has announced plans to set up a data center in India, in the hopes of easing government concerns over its data storage.
The company said on the Helo website that it had been storing data of Indian users in third-party data centers in the United States and Singapore and that it’s now the time to take a “big leap”.
“As a testimony to ByteDance’s recognition of India’s efforts to frame new data protection legislation, we are pleased to announce that we are taking a significant step towards establishing a data center in India,” the statement reads.
The plan comes after India, ByteDance’s biggest overseas market for user growth for TikTok—summoned the company to answer 24 questions ranging from data safety to political advertisements by July 22—at India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
ByteDance said it is currently examining options “for safe, secure, and reliable services for our Indian users within India’s borders”. The plan is reportedly part of the USD 1 billion investment over the next three years ByteDance has committed to the country, according to Business Standard.