India bans 118 mobile apps in sweeping Chinese app ban

AppleInsider

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has banned 118 apps -- including "PUBG: Mobile" -- claiming that they are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity" of India.

India has banned over 100 apps over burgeoning security threats, including several popular games, search engines, messaging services, and mobile payment platforms.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) invoked Section 69A of the IT act under the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 because of the "emergent nature of threats." The ban, as pointed out by The Week, has likely emerged out of worsening relations between the governments of China and India.

One of the banned apps is "PUBG: Mobile," a Battle Royale game with 119 million installs in India in its first two years. The ban includes other popular apps, such as Baidu, WeChat, and AliPay.

The apps have been accused of engaging in "activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order."

MEITY has pointed out that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Ministry of Home Affairs had also sent an "exhaustive recommendation" for blocking these "malicious" apps. This includes the growing concern that China-made apps may compromise the privacy of India's citizens. The order cited "credible inputs" of data sharing that violates India's IT Act.

Asian News Information has tweeted the full list of apps that are currently included under the ban.

Government blocks 118 mobile apps which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order: Govt of India

PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik, PUBG MOBILE LITE, WeChat Work & WeChat reading are among the banned mobile apps. pic.twitter.com/VWrg3WUnO8

-- ANI (@ANI)

September 2, 2020

India had previously banned TikTok, a popular video service, only for it to return to the App Store a week later. It was yet again removed from the India App Store following another ban this July.

dysamoria

What exactly is the threat of these apps to India? Anything worse than Facebook’s and Google’s threat to all of us?

crowley

dysamoria said:

What exactly is the threat of these apps to India? Anything worse than Facebook’s and Google’s threat to all of us?

Economic I guess.  Money spent by Indians in PUBG in money that India is sending to China, enriching a rival.  They'd rather be sending money to friendlier parties, or better yet keeping it in the country,

jas99

Very good news for Apple to have WeChat banned. In China and India it is a threat to the Apple ecosystem. 

foregoneconclusion

India and China have a long running border dispute that has led to some Indian soldiers being killed this year. It's likely that India's aggressiveness with the app banning is linked to that. 

Fatman

I can see why India is doing this - but very dangerous. China retaliates. Those iPhone manufacturing plants will have a hard time making products when Chinese Govt stops the shipment of Chinese made components to India.

[email protected]

@Jas99 "Very good news for Apple to have WeChat banned. In China and India it is a threat to the Apple ecosystem."

Right, it'd be a real feather in Apple's cap to loose 35-40% of all iPhone sales made in China and India. The Chinese absolutely depend on WeChat, both here and in China. The Chinese would abandon their iPhones long before they'd ever consider losing WeChat. 

sflocal

As much as I hate the Chinese government, this is going to be a total mess for software.  I can't imaging how difficult is must be for a company like Apple to deal to throw human resources at the logistics of maintaining what apps are allowed in what country, and when countries flip-flop back and forth with what's allowed in that country.

Of course, none of that compares to the Great Firewall of China, that goes all the way to the granular level of blocking information.  The amount of people working behind the scenes to block everything it deems detrimental must be massive.

anantksundaram

dysamoria said:

What exactly is the threat of these apps to India? Anything worse than Facebook’s and Google’s threat to all of us?

I love Apple, and I am not a heavy user of either Google of Facebook, but this post does not make a lot of sense. Especially, when the other data harvester in question is China.

If you haven't understood the connectivity benefits for people's personal lives and the economic benefits for small and medium-sized businesses around the globe (ex-China) from these two companies, you've not been paying attention.

anantksundaram

Fatman said:

I can see why India is doing this - but very dangerous. China retaliates. Those iPhone manufacturing plants will have a hard time making products when Chinese Govt stops the shipment of Chinese made components to India.

China would be shooting itself in the foot if it did that, since no one would want to source components from the country after something like that. It would also be terrible for China's exports, hence GDP and employment.

dysamoria

anantksundaram said:

dysamoria said:

What exactly is the threat of these apps to India? Anything worse than Facebook’s and Google’s threat to all of us?

I love Apple, and I am not a heavy user of either Google of Facebook, but this post does not make a lot of sense. Especially, when the other data harvester in question is China.

If you haven't understood the connectivity benefits for people's personal lives and the economic benefits for small and medium-sized businesses around the globe (ex-China) from these two companies, you've not been paying attention.

I certainly do understand the connectivity benefits, as well as the economic exchanges, but the users are cattle, not customers. That’s an abhorrent business model that puts everyone at risk. It’s inherently antisocial; destructive to society, probably more than the connectivity benefits it.

anantksundaram

dysamoria said:

anantksundaram said:

dysamoria said:

What exactly is the threat of these apps to India? Anything worse than Facebook’s and Google’s threat to all of us?

I love Apple, and I am not a heavy user of either Google of Facebook, but this post does not make a lot of sense. Especially, when the other data harvester in question is China.

If you haven't understood the connectivity benefits for people's personal lives and the economic benefits for small and medium-sized businesses around the globe (ex-China) from these two companies, you've not been paying attention.

I certainly do understand the connectivity benefits, as well as the economic exchanges, but the users are cattle, not customers. That’s an abhorrent business model that puts everyone at risk. It’s inherently antisocial; destructive to society, probably more than the connectivity benefits it.

Consider therapy?