In a significant development, the government of India has reportedly put a permanent ban on 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, Helo, We Chat, Alibaba’s UC Browser and UC News, Shein, Club Factory, Likee, Bigo Live, Kwai, Clash of Kings and Cam Scanner.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued new notices to these apps last week informing that the temporary block imposed on them has now been made permanent as their answers and clarifications following the ban were found to be inadequate, Economic Times reported.
These apps were already censured in India as part of action against 267 apps by the government in June 2020. The action is likely to attract legal challenges in the digital space between India and China.
Accusing the apps of engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state, and public order, the government initiated the action under Section 69A of the IT Act.
The permanent ban comes after these apps failed to satisfy officials in the IT Ministry with their response to various queries raised by the Indian government, which include data collection and data processing methods, data security, and data privacy.
The actions were initiated in the wake of tensions between both the countries including on the border and most importantly the app companies were accused of misusing data of their Indian users and businesses, surveillance, and engaging in anti-India activities.
