One month after the Modi-led Indian government had banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and UC Browser, the Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeitY) has banned 47 more Chinese apps.
The banned apps were “variants and cloned copies of the 59 Chinese apps that were banned in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite and VFY Lite,” tweeted ANI.
“This second digital strike by our Government on China is a great move yet again as all these 47 apps were operating as clones of the 59 Chinese apps barred from using earlier. The ban would safeguard Indian users’ data and protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security. Moreover, this initiative will further open up opportunities for more Indian apps to take up the limelight and onboard users to provide them with their services. Homegrown apps already witnessed a significant increase in downloads and user signups on their platforms after the Government’s ban announcement last month. We hope Indians will continue choosing apps which are made in India, for India,” Piyush, CEO and Founder of Rooters Sports Technology app said.
Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, including popular ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, Club Factory and CamScanner, the Centre had banned 59 apps on June 29 based on information that they were engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity”, defence, security and public order.
Earlier today, few reports also claimed that the Indian government has prepared a list of 275 apps which are under scrutiny for violation of national security and user privacy. This list reportedly includes PUBG Mobile, Ludo World, 14 Mi apps by Xiaomi, AliExpress, Resso, and ULike. Notably, though, the government is yet silent on this.
The list of apps that were banned in June includes TikTok, Helo, Likee, CamScanner, Vigo Video, Clash of Kings as well as e-commerce platforms Club Factory and Shein.
