New Delhi: The Indian government on Friday banned 47 more Chinese apps, after 59 China-based apps were banned in June-end. These 47 apps were acting as clones of the 59 Chinese apps that were banned earlier, Times Now’s Mohit Bhatt reported. The development is just come days after the Indian government warned the makers of the banned 59 apps of Chinese origin, strictly comply with the ban order. The government said that those violating the order would face serious action, as per sources.
The government had issued the order to ban 59 apps with Chinese links on June 29, stating that these were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. The banned apps included popular ones like TikTok, CamScanner, SHAREit and UC Browser. News agency PTI quoted sources on saying that the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has in a written communication to the concerned companies stated that the apps’ continued availability and operation, directly or indirectly, was illegal as well as an offence under the Information Technology Act(ITA) and other applicable Acts.
The communication is further stated that if any banned app was found to be available in India through any kind of means, directly or indirectly, the government would view this as a violation of its orders. The government communication underlined that apps were banned in exercise of the sovereign powers and Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. While issue the June 29 order, the IT Ministry that has stated that it whould had received numerous complaints against 59 mobile apps, including several on misuse of the 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, in 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 ministry statement had then stated. The IT ministry had stated that the apps were “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state, and public order.”
