By IT Correspondent
New Delhi, July 28:
After banning 59 Chinese apps, the Indian government is in the process of scrutinizing nearly 275 apps and is likely to ban another over 200 Chinese apps for national security violations and users’ privacy.
The Government banned 59 Chinese apps including “TikTok” and “UC Browser” on charges that they were engaged in activities that were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, the security of the state and public order last month.
The new list includes PUBG which is backed by Tencent, Zili by Xiaomi and AliExpress, an online shopping portal by AliBaba group. Apps including Resso and ByteDance’s ULike could also be examined by the government for security violations.“Some of these apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns,” a spokesperson from the union home ministry said.
There are fourteen apps by Xiaomi and some lesser-known apps including Capcut, FaceU, Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global. The list also includes Helsinki-based Supercell, that have investments by Chinese tech companies. Tencent, which backs PUBG, bought a major stake in the gaming company.
The government has initiated a process for such bans and the Union ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY) has been asked to frame rules for the constant examination of the apps in India. There is a process involved, there is a committee in place for such ban orders, an official said.
When India banned the 59 Chinese apps, there were speculations that the popular gaming app, PUBG will also be banned, but it didn’t happen at that time. The 59 Chinese apps were banned by the Union Ministry of Information Technology, invoking its power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
There are quite of a lot of PUBG users in India and as per “Sensor Tower”, PUBG has its largest user base with around 175 million downloads and 24% of share is in India alone!!. There are lots of other issues too with the PubG Mobile. Its addiction and overuse is killing the youth. This might be sad news for those who call themselves a “PRO” by playing only the PUBG Mobile. In the meanwhile gamers are making memes to deal with the anticipated nightmare.
