"How the US and other democratic countries address the challenge of Chinese apps like TikTok breaking outside of China has really profound consequences for free speech and the freedom of information globally," said Paul Scherer, author of the book Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

India has banned 118 more Chinese apps in a stepped-up backlash over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the neighbours. India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Wednesday said the apps - including the mobile version of the popular video game PUBG and other services provided by China internet giant Tencent - promoted activities "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". India and China have been embroiled in a series of deadly clashes and showdowns on their Himalayan border in recent weeks. In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat in the Ladakh region of the border. An Indian special forces member was killed in one of two incidents at the weekend.

A new Chinese app that lets users swap their faces with celebrities, sports stars or anyone else in a video clip racked up millions of downloads at the weekend but was swiftly criticised over privacy issues. The app's surge in popularity and sudden backlash from some users highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies raise concerns surrounding identity verification. Zao was uploaded to China's iOS App Store on Friday and immediately went viral. According to a post from the app's makers on China's Weibo social media site, Zao's servers nearly crashed because of the deluge of traffic. According to App Annie, a firm that tracks app downloads all over the world, Zao was the most downloaded free app in China's iOS App Store as of 1 September.