The Indian government has banned 14 mobile apps after intelligence agencies reported that these apps were being used by terrorists in Kashmir to communicate with their supporters and spread terror propaganda. This move comes in compliance with Section 69A of the country’s IT law, which empowers the government to block access to any information that is considered a threat to national security.

The apps that were banned on May 1st do not have representatives in India, making it difficult to track down activities happening on the app. This move brings the total number of banned apps to 288, with the previous bans targeting apps with connections to China, which the government deemed prejudicial to India’s sovereignty and integrity.

The banned apps include popular messaging and chat applications such as IMO, Element, and Threema, as well as file-sharing and storage apps such as Mediafire. The ban also includes apps that offer end-to-end encryption, such as Enigma, Wickrme, and Crypviser, which are popular among privacy advocates.

List of 14 apps that are banned:

• Crypviser
• Enigma
• Safeswiss
• Wickrme
• Mediafire
• Briar
• BChat
• Nandbox
• Conion
• IMO
• Element
• Second line
• Zangi
• Threema

The government had previously banned 59 mobile apps in June 2020, 118 apps including PUBG Mobile in September 2020, 43 apps including AliExpress in November 2020, and 54 apps including Tencent-backed Garena’s Free Fire in February 2022. The bans on these apps were also made under Section 69A of the IT law, with the government citing national security concerns and threats to public order.

The ban on these apps is expected to be enforced soon, with Google and Apple notifying developers to remove them from their app stores. This move is part of the Indian government’s ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and preserve national security by regulating the use of mobile apps and other digital technologies.

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(Source)

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The Indian government has taken swift action against a number of Chinese loan-lending and betting apps. After a thorough analysis of 288 Chinese apps, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) banned a total of 230 apps on an “urgent” and “emergency” basis. The decision was made based on recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs due to the potential access these apps had to the personal data of Indian citizens.

This happened after numerous reports of extortion and harassment towards individuals who had taken out small loans through these apps. In some cases, interest rates were increased by a shocking 3,000% annually. When debtors were unable to repay, they were subjected to threatening messages and even the release of morphed photos. Tragically, this led to a number of suicides in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

In response to these reports, various states and intelligence agencies called for action to be taken against these apps. 94 of the banned apps were found to be readily available on app stores, while others were being distributed through third-party links. The government has further issued an advisory, reminding citizens that betting and gambling are illegal in most parts of the country and advertisements for these betting platforms are also illegal under Consumer Protection Act 2019, Cable TV Network Regulation Act 1995, and the IT Rules, 2021.

This latest ban comes after previous actions taken against Chinese apps, including TikTok, Xender, and PUBG Mobile, which were deemed a threat to the sovereignty and security of India. The government imposed the ban under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, as servers in the hostile nation were receiving and using sensitive user data improperly. 

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(Via)

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Earlier today, the popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) got removed from the Google Playstore and Apple App store. The reason behind the removal isn’t clear as of yet. However, the reports related to the matter point toward a ban.

Why did BGMI get removed from Play Store and App Store in India?

The company behind BGMI, Krafton, has commented on the matter saying we are clarifying how BGMI was removed from Google Play and will let you know once we get specific information.”

On the other hand, Google has said that it has removed the game from the Play Store on ‘receipt of the order.’ The search giant has also stated that “following established process, we have notified the affected developer and have blocked access to the app that remained available on the Play Store in India.”

In a recent statement, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar noted that PUBG was banned in India in 2020, but banned apps have been resurfacing in new avatars. It is quite clear that this is a reference to BGMI, which is a re-skinned version of PUGB Mobile.

BGMI has been pulled from the Play Store because of a government order – a person familiar with the matter.

— Manish Singh (@refsrc) July 28, 2022

With multiple ministers pushing for a ban on BGMI in India, the recent incident of a 16-year-old shooting and killing his mother over an alleged argument about online games like PUBG could have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back and forced the government to silently ban BGMI in the country. This, however, is mere speculation at the moment, as we wait for more details to be revealed on the matter.

The game is still playable for those who already have it installed on their devices. We will keep a close eye on the matter for any further updates, so stay tuned.

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The Indian government has recently banned the popular mobile battle royale game, Free Fire. The app is owned by Singapore-based tech group Sea Ltd, with Tencent having a major stake. The game has been developed by 111dots Studio and published by Garena, a Singapore-based games publisher.

For those unaware, the Indian government has recently banned another 53 applications suspected of sending user data to servers in China, which includes certain apps that had resurfaced as clones of previously banned Chinese apps.

In a report by Reuters, sea ltd said that “the company does not transfer to, or store any data of their Indian users, in China.” Singapore, reportedly, reached out to Indian authorities and inquired as to why the app had been targeted in the government’s crackdown on Chinese apps.

The oddity of the ban is more pronounced and confusing as Sea is headquartered in the city-state and therefore the concern by Singapore as to whether the app had been “banned unintentionally”.

Garena, released a statement post-ban of free fire stating: “We are aware that Free Fire is currently unavailable in the Google Play and iOS app stores in India and that the game is currently not operable for some users in the country,” reads the statement. “We are working to address this situation, and we apologize to our users for any inconvenience.”

The Indian IT Department hasn’t yet released a statement regarding the specific ban of Garena’s Free Fire.

The game had gained immense popularity and had a thriving esports culture. Recently it was announced that European esports organization Team Vitality, formed a new Free Fire esports team in India.

As of yet, the game is not available for download either on Google Play Store or the App Store.

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In recent years, multiple cases of unfortunate deaths related to online gaming addiction have made the news, and today, we regretfully report that another such incident has occurred where a 14-year-old boy living in Mumbai, India has allegedly committed suicide as a result of gaming addiction.

The boy is said to have been addicted to this recently banned battle royale game Garena Free Fire, and the Bhoiwada police are currently investigating to find out if it was something related to the game that led the boy to take this extreme step.

According to the Police, the boy’s father, who works as a  designer for a private, received a call from his son on Sunday at 7:22 PM. The father could not receive the call as he was traveling with his wife, as per a report by Hindustan Times. When he called his son back a few minutes later, the boy did not answer the call.

Upon returning home, the parents noticed that their son’s room was locked. The father had to break the glass frame above the door to unlock it, following which, the unfortunate father found his son dead inside the room. The police informed that the body was sent to KEM Hospital for post-mortem.

Vijay Patil, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone 4, has stated that “Preliminary probe has revealed that the boy was addicted to Free Fire online game, but what exactly triggered him to take the extreme step is still a mystery.”

However, both the parents and the boy’s school teachers have shared that the boy has never shown any signs of gaming addiction. They have stated that the boy was a bright student and fond of cricket.

The Police have also stated that “The online game he was addicted to needed to be played in groups. So we are trying to find out who his friends were and who were his co-players in the game so as to ascertain if anything happened during the game that led him to take the drastic step.”

With this in mind, the police have sent the boy’s mobile phone to the forensic laboratory to retrieve its data. The initial reports have revealed that the boy mostly surfed websites related to the Free Fire game and cricket.

Jitendra Pawar, Senior Inspector, Bhoiwada police, said, “No note written by the boy was found. Nothing important from his mobile conversations with his friends is found. His teachers say that he was studious. His parents also didn’t complain of anything suspicious,”

The investigation is still underway to figure out if it was indeed the boy’s gaming addiction that drove the boy to take this drastic step or if it was due to some other reason.

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India has apparently banned another 50 applications. The government has blacklisted more than 50 smartphone apps, which are most likely from China, and mark the latest wave of app bans in the country.

For those unaware, the Indian government had banned around 60 apps back in 2020 and another 60 a few months after. Now, it is rumored that the government has banned another 50 applications, which includes certain apps that had resurfaced as clones of previously banned ones. One of the notable bans may include the popular battle royale title, Garena Free Fire. Although, there is still no official list that reveal the names of all the applications that have been banned from the country.

According to ET Now on Twitter, sources have claimed that the new app ban wave is primarily to remove resurfaced applications that were clones. Furthermore, Garena Free Fire being pulled from Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India is likely due to Tencent having a major stake in the game’s parent company. However, there are currently no official news regarding why the game was removed from these app stores. So it is unknown if it was due to the government’s ban or some other reason.

Govt of India to ban 54 Chinese apps that pose a threat to India’s security: Sources

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022

A separate report has suggested that the list of banned apps include, “Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite,” all of which were removed due to supposed threat to India’s national security.

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Earlier this week, a US appeals court rejected a request Justice Department that will allow the government to immediately ban the WeChat app from Apple and Google’s respective app stores for download in the US.

According to a Reuters report, the three judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stated in a brief order, the government had not demonstrated how it would “suffer an imminent, irreparable injury during the pendency of this appeal, which is being expedited.” Similarly, a US judge rejected the Justice Department’s request to reverse her decision on preventing the WeChat app ban that was sought by the Commerce Department in response to a lawsuit from WeChat users, earlier this month.

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WeChat users have stated that the ruling will prevent an “unprecedented shutdown of a major platform for communications relied on by millions of people in the United States.” Previously, the Commerce Department had ordered the ban to take effect by 20th September 2020, barring other US transactions with the popular Chinese messaging and multipurpose application. This would’ve effectively made the app unusable.

At the moment, Tencent and the Commerce Department have yet to comment on the matter, while the appeals court date has been placed for January 2021. The Justice Department has argued that the Chinese app is a threat to US national security, which is similar to the allegations on the tech giant, Huawei.

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The US Judge, Laurel Beeler, stated earlier this week that she was not inclined to reverse her decision of blocking the US Government from banning Apple and Google from offering the WeChat app through their respective US app stores.

According to a Reuters report, the US Magistrate Judge stated in a hearing that a new filing from the Justice Department will not “changes the outcome” or change her analysis. Previously, Beeler had also issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the US Commerce Department order, which would’ve taken effect in September. At the moment, the Justice Department has appealed the judge’s order to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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The ban from the Commerce Department would essentially make the WeChat app unusable in the US. Furthermore, the Justice Department has argued that Beeler’s order “permits the continued, unfettered use of WeChat, a mobile application that the Executive Branch has determined constitutes a threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” On the other hand, WeChat users argued that the government sought to “implement an unprecedented ban of an entire medium of communication,” which is based on mere “speculation” and “without any evidence.”

For those unaware, the popular Chinese social media and all in one smartphone application from Tencent are recently facing issues in the US. The government is aiming on banning the application from major app stores like Google Play Store and Apple App Store. However, the Chinese app is a big part of many Chinese students’ lives and is used by over 19 million active users daily.

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The WeChat app and its encrypted alternative Signal saw a spike in downloads in the US, after the Trump administration passed an executive order to ban the application earlier this month.

According to a Reuters report, the Tencent owned app saw a rise in downloads, as users rushed to install the application before it completely disappeared from the app stores in the country. Similarly, Signal also saw a similar trend, especially in China, as it is an encrypted alternative, which owned by non-profit Signal Foundation. The report stated that the WeChat app downloads rose by 41 percent in a six day average in the United States when compared to the previous week.

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This occurred immediately after the Trump Administration threatened to ban the app last week. Notably, the Signal app download rose by 30 percent in the US app stores and by a whopping 90 percent in the Chinese app stores. A Sensor Tower analyst stated that, “Not only are alternatives like WhatsApp and Telegram officially blocked in China, but Signal has an inherent advantage in that it’s well known for being strongly encrypted.”

Furthermore, WeChat users have also turned towards other Tencent owned chat apps like QQ, since the ban did not specifically include this platform. As such, the downloads for this app have also tripled in the past week. At the moment, Apple and other US giants are pushing back against the move from the government, citing various busines losses that would occur if it is enforced. Although, it remains to be seen how this event develops, so stay tuned.

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The Indian government banned 59 Chinese applications earlier this year which includes some of the most popular apps such as TikTok, ShareIt, UC Browser, WeChat, CamScanner, and more. Recently, India banned 47 more apps, which mostly include the ‘Lite’ versions or clones of the apps banned earlier.

Now, it is being reported that the government has prepared a list of 275 Chinese apps which are being studied for potential privacy and security issues. The list includes some of the biggest names, including PUBG Mobile and Alibaba‘s AliExpress.

The report adds that more applications from ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok are under scrutiny, including Resso music streaming and ULike. Further, 14 applications from Xiaomi or Mi are also being tested for the said violations.

The ban on PUBG Mobile could be a serious blow to PUBG Corporation, backed by Tencent. With more than 175 million installs, India is the largest market for the game, accounting for around 24 percent of the total downloads.

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However, do note that the Indian government could ban all of these apps, some of these apps, or none of them. There’s no certainty about this and there’s no timeline about when this could happen. It is also being reported that the Indian government is developing a formal process for such bans, including a law or regulation that would require constant monitoring of apps.

When India banned the 59 apps earlier this year, Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, has said in a statement that China firmly opposed the decision and claimed that it’s a “violation of World Trade Organisation rules.”

The decision of banning Chinese applications is a result of rising tensions related to border disputes between India and China. Along with banning apps, India has also restricted neighboring countries from bidding on public contracts, exclusive Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal which means that it is clearly targeting China.

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