Recently, Battlegrounds Mobile India came under scrutiny from government officials over the security risks the game posed in India. While some wanted the game to be banned even before its launch, it seems that this might not be possible for now.
As part of my research on predatory practise of Chinese companies in India and it's impact on National Security, had filed an RTI about the relaunch of PUBG Mobile in India by Krafton (in which the Chinese behemoth has the second largest stake). pic.twitter.com/WL5rkThdOb
— Dr Gaurav Tyagi (@drtyagigaurav) June 13, 2021
According to a TechRadar report, a response from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has offered us some clarity regarding this matter. As per a series of tweets from Dr. Gaurav Tyagi, the one that filed an RTI regarding the game’s launch, the ministry has clarified that the title cannot be banned from the country before its launch in India. Although, it further added that the game could face a ban under section 69A of the Informations Technology Act, 2000, once it has launched in the region.
The IT Ministry also stated that the “Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has no role in granting any permission for entry of PUBG or any company/Mobile app in India.” In simpler terms, Krafton INC, the studio behind the popular battle royale IP, is clear to launch the game in India, but risks facing a ban after its eventual release. This also implies that it has a short while to fix or address any issues that might have it face a ban by the local government.
Interestingly, Tyagi stated that if Krafton was allowed to go forward with its launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India, it might prompt other banned companies to follow a similar strategy as “TikTok, WeChat can just change their name and structure and re-launch without addressing the underlying security issues.” As of right now, the game’s exact launch date has yet to be revealed, but pre-registration for the game has been live since 18th May 2021. So stay tuned for more updates.
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