India announces ban on use of 59 Chinese apps

The Indian government has announced a ban on the use of 59 Chinese-made apps, including TikTok and WeChat. Tensions between India and China are escalating, with the two sides colliding in a border dispute area in June 2020, killing at least 20 Indian soldiers.

Regarding the reason for the ban, the Ministry of Information Technology, India, said, “There are concerns about data security and privacy of 1.3 billion people. These concerns are rising and threatening India’s sovereignty and safety. In addition, he received complaints that various sources are using apps that can be used on Android or iOS to secretly transmit user data to servers outside of India, and that the data is modified by someone who is an enemy to the defense and security of India. It is a violation of integrity and is a concern that is dangerous and urgent action needs to be taken.

The Cyber Crime Countermeasure Center under the Ministry of Interior of India said it recommended the Ministry of Information Technology to block such malicious apps. In addition, the computer emergency response team in India also received several reports on data security, and this is the background that the issue has been brought up to Congress. The ban on use is in accordance with Article 69A of the Information Technology Act, and Apple and Google must delete the app from the app store in India.

According to a report by app analytics company Sensor Tower, TikTok recorded 611 million downloads in India, accounting for 30.3% of the total. It is known to be popular in the heart of India, with over 100 million active users. Among the banned app operating companies, not only employees who have offices in India, but also creators who make money through apps are facing a crisis in their income.

TikTok was temporarily banned in India by order of the Madras High Court in 2019. However, as the court lifted the ban, it immediately returned to its original state. However, the ban is more comprehensive and affects many applications, and it is also in the context of the defense strategy, so the prospect of when these apps will be banned is unknown. Also, banning Chinese-made apps is imposing restrictions on some Chinese-made apps not only in India, but also in Taiwan and Germany. Related information can be found here .