The Indian government has now officially and permanently banned up to 60 Chinese-owned apps it initially listed in June last year. This lengthy list includes TikTok, WeChat, Baidu, Alibaba’s UC browser, and some Xiaomi apps, among others.

The moves that have now culminated in this official ban was kick-started by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It claimed to be relying on Section 69A of the IT Act, stating that the apps were engaging in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state, and public order. 

The official ban, therefore, reflects the inability of both the government and the app developers to arrive at a common meeting ground, as the government was not satisfied by the app companies’ responses with regards to how these apps collect data and disseminate such even outside the sub-continent.  

What is yet to be seen is how India will ensure full compliance with this new policy, as all the prohibited apps are still available on the Play Store and will continue to work on phones that already have them downloaded.

Added to the seeming void in the response of the Indian government is the fact that some of the blacklisted apps are stock apps that come with devices. It would be difficult to remove stock apps like these, even with a Play Store removal. The ban is still silent on what becomes of such phones, whether they are also banned. 

In the aftermath of the restrictions on these Chinese apps since June 2020, some Indian home-grown apps have been trying to fill the void, while also global players like Facebook, YouTube, etc have been incorporating some features into their platform that could easily carry out some of the tasks of the banned apps.

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Late last month, the Indian government banned a total of 59 Chinese apps citing security concerns. Three of these apps namely UC Browser, UC News, and VidMate are owned by UCWeb, a subsidiary of Alibaba. Now, after weeks, this company lays off its employees in India as it couldn’t provide services in the country. Similarly, Club Factory, another banned app has halted payments to its Indian sellers.

In retaliation to a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at the Himalayan border, the Indian government announced the ban of 59 Chinese apps on June 29. On the very next day, all of these apps were removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country even blocked access to these apps and their websites.

Some companies like TikTok and Xiaomi (Mi Community) came forward themselves issuing an official statement about halting their services. 

Whereas, UCWeb sent out a letter (July 15) to its employees informing that they are being laid off according to a report by Reuters. The letter read, “This termination is on account of the ban imposed by the government of India on UCWeb and Vmate, hampering the company’s ability to continue providing services in India”.

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UCWeb also issued a statement saying that it had stopped its services in India abiding the government order. However, it did not mention if it had shut operations entirely.

UC Browser had 130 million monthly active users in India. The company employed less than 100 direct individuals and hundreds of third-party workers.

On the other hand, Club Factory, an eCommerce company, informed its sellers in India that it is “invoking a force majeure clause – freeing it from contractual obligations”.

The company’s letter to its some 30,000 Indian sellers said, “We hereby wish to inform that all settlements with sellers on the CF app and website are hereby being put on hold until the ban of the CF app and website is lifted”.

Club Factory’s official statement says that it has temporarily halted its business activities in India and is working with the government to submit clarifications from its end.

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