+
 
For the best experience, open
m.thewire.in
on your mobile browser or Download our App.
You are reading an older article which was published on
Jun 29, 2020

India Bans TikTok, UC Browser and 57 Other Chinese Apps to 'Safeguard Interests' of Users

None of the apps has been identified as Chinese, nor has the government revealed why the need to "safeguard" Indian mobile and net users from them arose right after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with the Chinese in Ladakh, and not earlier.

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Monday night announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including popular ones such as TikTok and UC Browser, in a move that it claimed was necessary to “safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users”.

None of the apps is identified as Chinese in the press release, nor did the government reveal why this need to “safeguard” Indian mobile and net users has arisen right after the clash with Chinese troops in Galwan, Ladakh – where 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action – and not earlier.

“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,” a government press release said.

“On the basis of these and upon receiving recent credible inputs that such apps pose threat to sovereignty and integrity of India, the Government of India has decided to disallow the usage of certain Apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet enabled devices… This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” it read.

TikTok is one of five Chinese companies that have made donations to the PM CARES Fund set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight COVID-19 and there is no indication yet of whether the fund intends to refund the Rs 30 crore the company said it had handed over.

According to the official order, the IT ministry is banning these apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with other relevant provisions of the  Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

Also read: Govt Denies Issuing Order to Remove Chinese Apps From Play Store, App Store

Some of the banned apps include TikTok, UC Browser, WeChat, Weibo, SHAREit and Clash of Kings. While many of the listed apps are not that popular, the most crucial ban is that on social media and video-sharing app TikTok — which over the last two years has taken India by storm, picking up millions of users and spawning a new creative entertainment industry

As recently as March 17, 2020, when a question was asked in parliament about whether the government was considering banning TikTok for security reasons, the minister of state for home affairs replied that “there is no such proposal”.

The government press release indicated that the IT ministry had “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 unauthorised 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 press release said.

In May 2015, PM Modi had joined Weibo – China’s version of Twitter – ahead of his first official visit to the country. His account, which has 240,000 followers, is generally used to talk about yoga and to wish Chinese President Xi Jinping on his birthday.

This year, Modi did not wish Xi on his birthday on June 15. It was on that night that a violent clash occurred between Indian and Chinese forces, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. Even before the clash, the two countries were engaged in a standoff due to a border dispute.

The full list of 59 banned apps is as below:

  1. TikTok
  2. SHAREit
  3. Kwai
  4. UC Browser
  5. Baidu map
  6. Shein
  7. Clash of Kings
  8. DU battery saver
  9. Helo
  10. Likee
  11. YouCam makeup
  12. Mi Community
  13. CM Browers
  14. Virus Cleaner
  15. APUS Browser
  16. ROMWE
  17. Club Factory
  18. Newsdog
  19. Beutry Plus
  20. WeChat
  21. UC News
  22. QQ Mail
  23. Weibo
  24. Xender
  25. QQ Music
  26. QQ Newsfeed
  27. Bigo Live
  28. SelfieCity
  29. Mail Master
  30. Parallel Space

 

31. Mi Video Call – Xiaomi
32. WeSync
33. ES File Explorer
34. Viva Video – QU Video Inc
35. Meitu
36. Vigo Video
37. New Video Status
38. DU Recorder
39. Vault- Hide
40. Cache Cleaner DU App studio
41. DU Cleaner
42. DU Browser
43. Hago Play With New Friends
44. Cam Scanner
45. Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile
46. Wonder Camera
47. Photo Wonder
48. QQ Player
49. We Meet
50. Sweet Selfie
51. Baidu Translate
52. Vmate
53. QQ International
54. QQ Security Center
55. QQ Launcher
56. U Video
57. V fly Status Video
58. Mobile Legends
59. DU Privacy
Make a contribution to Independent Journalism
facebook twitter