PUBG mobile app among 118 Chinese apps banned in India

New Delhi: PUBG mobile app is among 118 more Chinese apps have been banned by the central government after fresh tension over Chinese provocation in Ladakh.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, invoking its power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act, has banned the game app and others, on grounds that “they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

The Ministry has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.

The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps.

Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India.

There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against Apps that harm India’s sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens.