59 Chinese apps including TikTok, UC Browser permanently banned

New Delhi : The Indian government has decided to ban 59 Chinese apps permanently. This includes short video apps like TikTok, WeChat, Alibaba as well as UC Browser and BIGO Live. The government had issued show cause notices to the companies concerned after the blockade in June last year. According to the information received, the government is not satisfied with the explanation of the companies. That is why the government has now decided to ban these apps permanently.

267 apps banned since June
The government has banned 267 apps since last June. It also include 59 permanently banned apps. The Indian government first banned 59 apps, including TikTok, in June. This was followed by a ban on 47 apps in July. In September, India launched its third digital strike on China, banning 118 Chinese apps in one fell swoop.

Action under Section 69A of the IT Act –
The Modi government had initiated action mainly against Chinese apps under Section 69A of the IT Act. These apps were accused of being involved in hostile acts for India’s sovereignty, India’s integrity, India’s security, the security of the state and public order.

The government had issued show cause notices to these 59 apps before banning them permanently. The notice asked the relevant apps about data collection, data processing, data security and privacy. However, officials in the Ministry of Information and Technology (IT) were not satisfied with the answers given by these companies. It was then decided to ban these apps permanently.