India adds 54 more Chinese apps to its list of banned apps

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has suggested that 54 Chinese mobile applications be blocked, including the popular game Garena Free Fire. Interestingly, Garena Free Fire is based in Singapore, and the developer is not a Chinese national. The game was one of the most downloaded in India last year, having absorbed the space left by PUBG Mobile following its September 2020 ban. The software had previously been deleted from India’s Google Play Store and App Store.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), according to PTI, will formally issue a notification prohibiting the functioning of these apps in India. Additionally, the government banned TikTok and other popular short video applications from China in 2020. When TikTok was removed from the list on June 29, 2020, it was one of around 59 apps. Shareit, Shein (the fashion website and app), Xiaomi Mi Community, Clash of Kings, Weibo, and Likee were also included on the list.

Chinese apps were transmitting data to the Chinese Government

India believes user data was being transmitted to Chinese servers via the apps, according to one of the government sources who requested anonymity in accordance with regulations. 

MeitY had previously prohibited the use of the earlier apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which stipulates that the government has the “Power to provide directives for the interception, monitoring, or decryption of any information transmitted over any computer resource.” This occurs most frequently when the government is “satisfied that action is necessary or expedient in the interest of India’s sovereignty or integrity, defense, security, friendly relations with foreign states, or public order, or for preventing incitement to commit any cognizable offense relating to the foregoing, or for investigating any offense.”

For TikTok and PUBG, the government stated that they were being prohibited “in light of the emerging nature of threats” because they “engage in actions that are detrimental to India’s sovereignty and integrity, defense, state security, and public order.” PUBG and 117 other apps were banned in September 2020. The third list of prohibited apps was published in November 2020 and featured a total of 43 applications. AliExpress was by far the most prominent name on that list.