From PUBG to Camcard: Among the 118 Chinese apps banned, here are the ones you'll miss

The hugely popular game PUBG, selfie app FaceU and business card scanning app Camcard are among the 118 apps that have been banned by the the Union Information and Technology Ministry on Wednesday citing security reasons. India was PUBG’s largest market, with the country accounting for the most number (175 million) of downloads of the app. This amounted to 24 percent of the global numbers, according to NDTV. FaceU is also a widely-used app across the world, with 300 million users globally. The ban on 118 China-linked apps is the third such crackdown by the Union government since 29 June, when the government first banned 59 apps . TikTok, the highly popular social media app, was included in the first list of 59 apps that were banned by the government. The second such crackdown, on 27 July, was on 47 apps which were clones of apps that were earlier banned. These actions were taken after clashes along the Line of Actual Control between Indian and Chinese troops. The total number of China-linked apps that have been banned by the government now stands at 224.

Here is an overview of the major Chinese apps that have been banned on Wednesday —

PUBG PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) is an online game that can be played on mobile phones (both Android and iOS), personal computers, and also gaming consoles like Xbox, as mentioned in a report by The Statesman_._ In a PUBG game, 100 players jump on to a battlefield chosen by them, without arms or weapons, and get on the task of collecting supplies and ammunition that would help them survive. Follow LIVE updates on Chinese App Ban in India here The game has been extremely popular in India, and about 22 lakh people in the country played the game in May 2020, according to a Times Now report.

In fact, in early 2019, when a concerned mother of a ninth-grader complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about her son’s online addiction during the Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0 event in Delhi, earlier this week, he light-heartedly commented , “Ye PUBG-wala hai kya?” [“Is your son also a fan of PUBG?”] While the PUBG game was developed by a Korean game-maker, its mobile version was developed by Tencent, a Chinese conglomerate. Other banned apps FaceU, which was acquired by Chinese startup Toutiao in 2018, allow users to choose their favorite stickers or add interesting and exaggerated effects in real-time when taking selfies and videos. The app encourages users to video chat with friends and even strangers while playing with its fun stickers. Xiaomi ShareSave aims to offers a quick and efficient way to order Xiaomi-ecosystem products that have not been released outside China, according to NDTV. It was launched by Chinese firm Xiaomi in January 2019. Camcard, another Chinese app, is used to read and save business cards quickly and accurately on smartphones. According to the app’s official website, it can be used to ’exchange electronic business cards securely’ with other people. ‘Safety of cyberspace’ cited as reason for ban The Centre, mentioning the reasons for banning the apps on Wednesday, said in a press release, “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 government had given a similar rationale for its actions against the first set of 59 apps. The IT ministry had said that the ban was put in place in view of information available that they are “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”. “The move will “safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace”, it had added. Sonit Jain, CEO of GajShield Infotech agrees with the government’s move. He said, “understanding the severity of recent major incidents on the border, the announced ban on the list of Chinese apps puts out a bold statement by the government that it will not compromise on national security and calls out more Indian developers with a stronger Vocal for Local sentiment. These Indian developed apps will not only replace the banned apps but will also ensure stronger security, better user policies and personal data protection compliances.” However, SFLC founder Mishi Choudhary calls this a mere “stopgap measure”. “Whether 59 apps are banned or 118, all this underscores how technology and geopolitical matters are becoming two strands of a braid. GoI has the power to do so under Section 69A of the IT Act but it’s a mere stopgap measure. The data protection law, conspicuous by its absence has never been more important than now. We must ensure that people are protected and they are not reduced to pawns in the data game,” says Choudhary. The ban on these apps can be seen as part of a policy to curb the influence of China on Indian economy, as well as ensure data security. In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched the Aatmanirbhar Innovation Challenge, inviting India’s tech and community to create an Aatmanirbhar App Ecosystem.