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India ban on Chinese apps updates | While Congress leader Ahmed Patel welcomed the ban, he also said, “In light of the grave intrusion of our territory & the unprovoked attack on our armed forces by the Chinese army, we expect our government to take more substantial & effective measures.” Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted, “For safety, security, defence, sovereignty & integrity of India and to protect data & privacy of people of India the Government has banned 59 mobile apps.” The Centre on Monday banned 59 mobile apps, including China’’s TikTok, SHAREiT and WeChat, terming them prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and national security. In an official statement, the IT Ministry said it 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 unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India”. “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 statement said.
India ban on Chinese apps updates: Ban is welcome, but govt must take more substantive measures, says Congress' Ahmed Patel
India ban on Chinese apps updates | While Congress leader Ahmed Patel welcomed the ban, he also said, ‘We expect our government to take more substantial & effective measures.’
 "India ban on Chinese apps updates: Ban is welcome, but govt must take more substantive measures, says Congress' Ahmed Patel")
Robust policy needed for cyber world, says online civil liberties activist
Responding to the ban on Chinese apps, Mishi Choudhary, technology lawyer and online civil liberties activist, said, “Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the Government to block any content in the interest of defense of the country. This move underscores that the cyber world and Internet are part of geopolitics, and not some distant matter left to techies. We must have a robust cyber-peace or war policy that addresses our national security concerns and presents a well-thought through, rights-respecting policy, in sharp contrast to an authoritarian regime like China.”
Alternatives available for CamScanner, TikTok
As pointed out in a News18 report, there are several alternatives to some of the popular Chinese apps that have been banned. For example, documents on CamScanner can be shifted to Google Drives, and alternatives such as Microsoft Office Lens or Adobe Lens can be used. Similarly, for social media apps such as TikTok, there are alternatives such as Dubsmash, and Indian apps like Roposo, Chingari and Bolo Indya.
Indians spent 5.5 bn hours on TikTok in 2019, says report
An India Today report has quoted data analytics firm App Annie as saying that in 2019, Indians spent a massive 5.5 billion hours on TikTok, which was higher than the total number of hours in 2018.
Education is key, not repression, says French cybersecurity expert
This is not how our world is working. WeChat is the only way to communicate with people located in China. Millions of young Indians have fun with the TikTok challenges. The majority of the Xiaomi apps are often pre installed as system apps.
— Baptiste Robert (@fs0c131y) June 29, 2020
Education is the key, not repression https://t.co/zb1d3oJDiZ
Ban likely to be followed by instructions to Internet service providers
According to an article in The Indian Express, the ban notification is likely to be followed by instructions to Internet service providers to stop access to these apps. Users may soon see a message saying access to the apps have been restricted at the request of the government.
Full list of banned Chinese apps
Government bans 59 mobile apps 📲 including #TikTok, likee, UC Browser, etc.
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 29, 2020
This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace & to safeguard interests of crores of Indian mobile/internet users
🔽Here's the list🔽https://t.co/aKgmnAglOs pic.twitter.com/ooTUWj6R5E
Users who already downloaded apps won’t be able to access downloads
As per an article in News18, the ban on the 59 Chinese apps means that these apps will no longer receive any developer support in India. So, users who have already downloaded the apps will not be able to access app downloads.
TikTok ban provides fodder for memes
Meanwhile, the ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, has sparked off a meme fest on Twitter.
Right now in Bharat#TikTok stars vs non TikTok users pic.twitter.com/GIT25do5sK
— Vertigo_Warrior (@VertigoWarrior) June 29, 2020
Centre imposed ban too late, says Hemant Soren
ANI quoted Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren as saying, “I think the Central government is late in taking this step. These mobile applications have already spread the ‘infection’”
‘Expect govt to take more substantial measures’: says Congress’ Ahmed Patel
We welcome the decision to ban Chinese apps.
— Ahmed Patel Memorial (@ahmedpatel) June 29, 2020
In light of the grave intrusion of our territory & the unprovoked attack on our armed forces by the Chinese army, we expect our government to take more substantial & effective measures
Will Centre keep Chinese companies away from 5G rollout, asks Priyanka Chaturvedi
To ban 59 apps is understandable as many were engaged in data collection as reported extensively. Next,
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) June 29, 2020
- will the govt cap Indian tech start up’s over dependence on China funds (approx $4bn)?
- will the govt keep China companies away from power, telecom & infra eg 5G rollout?
Centre says it has received complaints of misuse of data
An official statement said, “The Ministry of 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 unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside of India.”
Apps will need to be removed from Google Play, Apple App Store
Banning mobile apps will require that the apps be removed from the Google Play and Apple App Store, and any other app download stores available.
In addition, their network connectivity will need to be blocked to ensure that the apps already downloaded cannot be used, in case they require network connectivity. This would likely be done in a way similar to how websites are banned in India.
Tiktok’s ad revenue grew by 50% in past year, says report
According to an article in Mint, TikTok’s advertising revenue has witnessed a 50 percent growth in the past year. However, it is yet to take a significant share of the country’s Rs 17,000 crore digital ad market, which is dominated by Google and Facebook, the report stated.
Ban imposed to protect data of Indians, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
For safety, security, defence, sovereignty & integrity of India and to protect data & privacy of people of India the Government has banned 59 mobile apps.
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 29, 2020
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
Section 69A of IT Act used to enforce ban
According to a report in The Indian Express, the Centre has used Section 69A of the Information Technology Act to enforce the ban.
Helo, CamScanner among banned apps
The list of apps that have been banned also include Helo, Likee, Cam Scanner, Vigo Video, Mi Video Call – Xiaomi, Clash of Kings as well as e-commerce platforms Club Factory and Shein.
This marks the largest sweep against the Chinese technology companies.
PTI
Centre bans 59 Chinese apps
India on Monday banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country.
The ban, which comes in the backdrop of current stand-off along the Line of Actual control in Ladakh with Chinese troops, also includes WeChat and Bigo Live.
PTI
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