The Indian government has banned 54 additional Chinese-origin apps and games, with publishers and tech companies including Tencent, Alibaba, NetEase, and others being directly impacted by this latest crackdown.
These 54 apps, according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), reportedly get countless critical permissions and extract sensitive user data. They went on to say that the recorded real-time data is being exploited and is being sent to servers in a hostile country. The ministry further said that the banned apps were allegedly engaged in actions that were damaging to the country’s sovereignty and integrity, as well as posing a major threat to the state’s security and defense. The IT ministry has issued interim orders for banning the operations of 54 apps in India.
Google has confirmed that the government has issued an order banning access to the aforementioned apps. “On receipt of the interim order passed under Section 69A of the IT Act, following established process, we have notified the affected developers and have temporarily blocked access to the apps that remained available on the Play Store in India,” the Google spokesman said.
The crackdown is the first of its kind this year, following a major sweep against Chinese apps in 2020. The government banned over 59 apps with Chinese links, including the immensely popular PUBG, TikTok, and UC Browser, in June 2020, alleging they were detrimental to the country’s sovereignty, integrity, and security. There are also other serious concerns, according to MeitY, because some of these apps can conduct espionage and surveillance activities via camera/microphone, access precise locations using GPS, and engage in harmful network activity similarly to previously blocked apps.
The list of banned mobile apps includes:
- AppLock
- APUS Security HD (Pad Version)
- Astracraft
- Badlanders
- Barcode Scanner – QR Code Scan
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera
- Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD
- CamCard for SalesForce Ent
- Conquer Online
- Conquer Online – MMORPG Game
- CuteU Pro
- CuteU: Match With The World
- Dual Space Lite – Multiple Accounts & Clone App
- Dual Space Pro – 32Bit Support
- Dual Space Pro – Multiple Accounts & App Cloner
- Dual Space – 32Bit Support
- Dual Space – 64Bit Support
- DualSpace Lite – 32Bit Support
- Equalizer & Bass Booster – Music Volume EQ
- Equalizer Pro – Volume Booster & Bass Booster
- Equalizer – Bass Booster & Volume EQ & Virtualizer
- EVE Echoes
- Extraordinary Ones
- FancyU pro – Instant Meetup through Video chat!
- FancyU – Video Chat & Meetup
- FunChat Meet People Around You
- Garena Free Fire – Illuminate
- Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite
- Lica Cam – selfie camera app
- Live Weather & Radar – Alerts
- MoonChat: Enjoy Video Chats
- MP3 Cutter – Ringtone Maker & Audio Cutter
- Music Player – Equalizer & MP3
- Music Player – MP3 Player
- Music Player – Music, MP3 Player
- Music Plus – MP3 Player
- Nice video Baidu
- Notes – Color Notepad, Notebook
- Onmyoji Arena
- Onmyoji Chess
- Parallel Space Lite 32 Support
- RealU Lite -video to live!
- RealU: Go Live, Make Friends
- Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
- SmallWorld-Enjoy Group chat and video chat
- Stick Fight: The Game Mobile
- Tencent Xriver
- Twilight Pioneers
- UU Game Booster-network solution for high ping
- Video Player Media All Format
- Viva Video Editor – Snack Video Maker with Music
- Voice Recorder & Voice Changer
- Volume Booster – Loud Speaker & Sound Booster
- Wink: Connect Now