Tiktok alternative Mitron is apparently a rebadged Pakistani app
Tiktok’s dream run in India came to a halt after the enraged populace got vocal against the app and left millions of negative reviews on the app markets. Mitron TV was the biggest winner of this feud, as it gained more than five million users in a short span of time. However, there might be more than what meets the eye.
Tiktok is no stranger to controversy in India. Last week, millions of users took to the Google Play store to voice their opinions about the app and brought down its rating to 1.4 stars in a matter of days. This incident was sparked after a creator on the platform seemingly glorified acid attack as a part of a revenge plan. The app’s Chinese origin didn’t help either, in a time when sinophobia was at an all-time high.
At the same time, a new competitor suddenly emerged in the form of Mitron TV. Earlier rumours even suggested that it was an app from the Indian government to tackle Tiktok, which put it in the spotlight overnight. It was later reported to be an app developed by an IIT student.
In an interesting turn of events, News18 has discovered that Mitron isn’t really an Indian app and was simply bought from a Pakistani software company. According to Ifran Sheikh, the founder of Qboxus, the entire source code for the app was merely purchased for $34 (~Rs 2,500), slapped with a new logo and uploaded to the Play store. “The problem is with people referring to it as an Indian-made app, which is not true especially because they have not made any changes”, he told News18.
While it is not really illegal or uncommon to buy a source code to get started on an app, Mitron’s promoter, ShopKiller eCommerce also failed to share details around the app’s privacy policy and data handling, when News18 enquired. The only consolation is that Mitron hosts data on its own servers, but didn’t clarify its handling either.
In a sensitive time like now, it is more important than ever before to be extra cautious before sharing news. Not only can some parties get undue advantage from it, but it can also put user data at risk. We will wait for further information from Mitron to surface to get a better idea of the situation.
Tiktok’s dream run in India came to a halt after the enraged populace got vocal against the app and left millions of negative reviews on the app markets. Mitron TV was the biggest winner of this feud, as it gained more than five million users in a short span of…
