A month after the Government of India (GOI) banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps from operating in India, it has now reportedly blocked access to an additional 47 Chinese applications on Friday. As per reports, the freshly banned apps operated as ‘clones’ of the earlier banned apps. Reportedly, the government will soon release the list of the said apps.
As per reports, the government is also drawing up a list of 250 other Chinese apps in light of user privacy and national security violations. Reportedly, the said apps include top Chinese gaming applications. The 250 apps are now being reviewed after allegations that the user data is shared with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have surfaced.
#JustIn | Indian Govt bans 47 more Chinese apps. pic.twitter.com/YGYiEu5lKn
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) July 27, 2020
Indian Government bans 59 Chinese apps
Earlier, the Indian government had red-flagged usage of 59 China-linked apps, including TikTok as being a threat to national security. The Ministry of Information Technology, invoking its power under section 69A of Information Technology Act, ordered a block on the use of 59 apps saying that these apps are “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order”.
The Ministry said that it has recently been receiving complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have a location outside India.
