India to ban 275 more Chinese apps, PUBG and Ludo amongst the next bunch
After imposing a ban on 59 Chinese apps, the government is evaluating another 275 apps for violation of national security and citizens privacy. The latest list reportedly includes Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG, AliExpress, ByteDance’s Resso and ULike, another gaming app Ludo World and Xiaomi’s Zili, media reports suggested.
Other apps from Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, Yoozoo Global, among others are also under the scanner, according to a News18 report.
The apps being reviewed are accused of sharing data with Chinese agencies.
The 47 apps that have been banned today by the latest decision of the government were operating as the clones of the 59 apps that were banned last month, according to a tweet posted by DD News.
The Economic Times report also suggests that the Indian government is looking to establish a process for bans like these so that there is a regulation for continuous scrutiny of apps operating in the country.
Meanwhile, the Indian government recently sent out a list of 77-questions to the previously banned 59 apps, including whether they censored content, worked on behalf of foreign governments or lobbied influencers. The deadline, for the companies that own these apps, is coming to an end.
The news of app bans has come following a border clash between soldiers from Indian and China, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead. Last week, the Department of Telecom (DoT) also asked all government web portals and websites to conduct a security audit and submit a compliance certificate as soon as possible.
The government officials reportedly said that since the 15 June clash and India banning 59 Chinese apps, instances of cyber attacks have increased to up to 10,000 per day.
