Government again banned Chinese apps XLVII, and now it's PUBG AliExpress's turn?
It has been decided to ban 47 Chinese apps once again in India. Actually, these apps were working as a clone of banned apps some time back. The government has previously banned 59 apps, including many popular apps.
These include Tick Talk, We Chat, Ali Baba's apps UC News and UC Browser. According to the government sources, there are 250 such Chinese apps that can be investigated regarding the violations of National Security.
According to sources, a new list of Chinese apps is being prepared and it includes some top gaming apps. It is possible that after the next list, many popular Chinese games can also be banned in India.
According to the report, this time a list of more than 200 apps is being made, including popular apps like PUBG and Ali Express. There are crores of users of these apps in India.
According to the report, these apps are allegedly sharing data with China and due to this government agencies are reviewing them. At present, no statement has been issued by the government about the new app ban.
Now the question is, will PUBG also be banned this time? Because many connections of PUBG are connected to China, although this app cannot be called completely Chinese.ore Chinese owned apps seem to be under the scanner in India at a time when the geopolitical tensions between India and China are at an all-time high. Reports suggest that authorities are scanning as many as 275 more apps for potential user privacy violations and national security threats. This follows the ban on 59 Chinese-owned apps last month, a list that included the very popular social media app TikTok. It is believed that the latest list of apps under the scanner include the incredibly popular game PUBG Mobile, ecommerce platform AliExpress and another popular game Ludo World.
The new list of 275 Chinese-owned apps which are under the scanner are being reviewed for any possible security threats or violations. The data that these apps collect, as well as what they potentially share with the Chinese government, is being potentially looked at. In China, the National Intelligence Law of 2017 governs all tech companies that are based in China or are under Chinese ownership. The law mandates all businesses to share any and all information that the Chinese Government may ask for. This is something that is worrying governments around the world, including India.
PUBG sees a partial stake by Chinese tech giant Tencent, AliExpress is owned by AliBaba, Zili is an app by popular phone maker Xiaomi, Resso is a music streaming app from Bytedance who also own TikTok, to name a few. This list not only includes apps by Chinese tech giants including Xiaomi, Tencent, Alibaba and Bytedance, but also developers and companies Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games and Yoozoo Global.
After ban on TikTok and 59 other Chinese apps last month, the government has created a new list of apps to examine them if they pose any risk to national security or individual's privacy.
This time, the Centre has kept 275 Chinese apps on the radar, including PubG, Zili, Resso, AliExpress and ULike, according to a report in The Economic Times. Apps from other Chinese internet and tech majors like Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global are also in the list.
Although PubG videogame has been developed by a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, it is also backed by China's most valuable internet major Tencent. On the other hand, Zili is owned by Xiaomi, Resso and ULike by TikTok-owner ByteDance, and AliExpress by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
India is the largest market of PubG. According to estimates from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower, PubG has generated about 17.5 crore installs to date.
The daily said either there would be a ban on all 275 Chinese apps or none at all. Chinese internet companies have about 300 million unique users in India.
Citing a government official, the daily added the aforementioned apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons while others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns. Additionally, the government is examining the alleged flow of data from these apps to China that poses a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent 77 questions to the 59 banned-Chinese apps. The Centre has asked questions like whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influencers, among others. The ministry has also given these companies three weeks to respond, i.e, first week of August.
On June 29, the Centre banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including TikTok, Shein, UC Browser, and BeautyPlus, saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country. Last week, MeitY wrote a letter to Chinese firms, warning the continued availability and operation of these banned apps, directly or indirectly, was an offence under the IT Act and other applicable Acts.
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