Including PUBG, among 118 Chinese mobile apps banned by India.
India accounts for over a quarter of PUBG Mobile’s lifetime installs though revenues from the country are still minuscule
India on Wednesday banned 118 mobile applications linked to China including the widely popular game PUBG Mobile Lite, saying there were reports that these apps were ‘stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner. The government said these apps promoted activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.
“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” the ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY) said on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the ban that could hurt some of China’s technology giants such as Tencent Holdings Ltd, the country’s search engine leader Baidu Inc, Xiaomi’s ShareSave and online payments giant Ant Group Co.’s platform Alipay.
Here's a complete list of Chinese apps banned in India:
- APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers, Smart
- APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper, HideApps
- APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security, Cleaner
- APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner, Anti-Virus
- APUS Flashlight-Free & Bright
- Cut Cut – Cut Out & Photo Background Editor
- Baidu
- Baidu Express Edition
- FaceU - Inspire your Beauty
- ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing deals
- CamCard - Business Card Reader
- CamCard Business
- CamCard for Salesforce
- CamOCR
- InNote
- VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing
- Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone Booster
- WeChat reading
- Government WeChat
- Small Q brush
- Tencent Weiyun
- Pitu
- WeChat Work
- Cyber Hunter
- Cyber Hunter Lite
- Knives Out-No rules, just fight!
- Super Mecha Champions
- LifeAfter
- Dawn of Isles
- Ludo World-Ludo Superstar
- Chess Rush
- PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik
- PUBG MOBILE LITE
- Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
- Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon
- Dank Tanks
- Warpath
- Game of Sultans
- Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos
- Smart AppLock (App Protect)
- Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault Developer Team
- Hide App-Hide Application Icon
- AppLock
- AppLock Lite
- Dual Space - Multiple Accounts & App Cloner
- ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat & video chat online
- ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming & video chat app
- Music - Mp3 Player
- Music Player - Audio Player & 10 Bands Equalizer
- HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera
- Cleaner - Phone Booster
- Web Browser & Fast Explorer
- Video Player All Format for Android
- Photo Gallery HD & Editor
- Photo Gallery & Album
- Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download
- HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters & Panorama
- HD Camera Pro & Selfie Camera
- Music Player - MP3 Player & 10 Bands Equalizer
- Gallery HD
- Web Browser - Fast, Privacy & Light Web Explorer
- Web Browser - Secure Explorer
- Music player - Audio Player
- Video Player - All Format HD Video Player
- Lamour Love All Over The World
- Amour- video chat & call all over the world.
- MV Master - Make Your Status Video & Community
- MV Master - Best Video Maker & Photo Video Editor
- APUS Message Center-Intelligent management
- LivU Meet new people & Video chat with strangers
- Carrom Friends : Carrom Board & Pool Game-
- Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game & Board Games
- Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing Games
- Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG Game
- Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie, Collage
- GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji
- U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now Translate
- Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style
- Tantan - Date For Real
- MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat karen
- Kitty Live - Live Streaming & Video Live Chat
- Malay Social Dating App to Date & Meet Singles
- Alipay
- AlipayHK
- Mobile Taobao
- Youku
- Road of Kings- Endless Glory
- Sina News
- Netease News
- Penguin FM
- Murderous Pursuits
- Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology
- Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese
- HUYA LIVE – Game Live Stream
- Little Q Album
- Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting Landlords
- Hi Meitu
- Mobile Legends: Pocket
- VPN for TikTok
- VPN for TikTok
- Penguin E-sports Live assistant
- Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special offers and low prices
- iPick
- Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera & Face Selfie
- Parallel Space Lite - Dual App
- "Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC
- MARVEL Super War NetEase Games
- AFK Arena
- Creative Destruction NetEase Games
- Crusaders of Light NetEase Games
- Mafia City Yotta Games
- Onmyoji NetEase Games
- Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games
- Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully upgraded
- Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games
- Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games
- Soul Hunters
- Rules of Survival
India accounts for over a quarter of PUBG Mobile’s lifetime installs though revenues from the country are still minuscule, a Bloomberg report said citing data from research firm Sensor Tower. PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, popularly known as PUBG, had seen its user numbers rocket in India as the coronavirus-related lockdowns boosted gaming. The banned versions of PUBG included PUBG Mobile Lite, a leaner version of the app suited to inexpensive smartphones, as well as PUBG Mobile Nordic Map: Livik, a newer game played on a Nordic terrain.
PUBG was developed by a South Korean company, but the mobile version that has taken off around the world was developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, news agency AFP said.
Officials said there had been reports by parents, civil society activists and other stakeholders about PUBG’s ‘violent’ content. “The apps have been banned to ensure there is no data theft,” said the official. The official added that the Indian alternative to PUBG, Scarfall, may now gain more traction.
This is the third round of bans after India decided to take down Tik Tok and 59 other applications on June 29. The second round of blocks came on July 23, when the ministry decided to take down mirror applications that were functioning despite the ban. These applications were also banned for being a ‘threat to the sovereignty of the country and national security’. IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had then called the order a ‘digital strike against China’.
Wednesday’s fresh order comes in the wake of border tensions with China spiraling in the sensitive Ladakh sector after China’s People Liberation’s Army (PLA) made an abortive bid to grab Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move on August 29, officials familiar with the developments said on Tuesday. The Indian army, however, preempted the PLA and occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso.
The PLA made a second provocative move on August 31 but the Indian Army took “timely defensive action” to thwart the Chinese attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo in the sector, the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.
The third round of ban on China-linked mobile applications was ordered against this backdrop and is widely seen as an effort by New Delhi to send a message to Beijing that its aggressive posturing along the Line of Actual Control would come with costs elsewhere. India’s ban on TikTok had prompted several other countries to take a hard look at the company earlier and led to US President Donald Trump’s decision to ban the mobile app from carrying out any transactions in the United States from mid-September.
The IT ministry, however, did not allude to the border situation. Instead, it cited a report from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre located within the Ministry of Home Affairs that had sent an exhaustive recommendation “for blocking these malicious apps”.
A MEITY official, who did not wish to be named, said that the ban had been affected under the ‘emergency provisions of the IT Act.
The ministry invoked its power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 118 mobile apps ‘since in view of information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order’, the public statement said.
“We got a report of the violations yesterday and have immediately ordered blocking the applications,” he said, explaining that notices are being sent to mobile apps to give their counter to the decision.
The same process was followed for the previous round of bans. “They will be given a chance to put forth a representation on their behalf,” he added.
“The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology 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 ministry said in a statement.
“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 ministry said.
