India blocks 119 apps, mostly from China, citing security concerns; developers seek clarification.
119 apps, primarily voice and video chat services, have been ordered to be blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Google made the announcement through the Lumen Database, a database operated by Harvard University that tracks requests from governments and other organizations to remove content. The developers of the majority of these apps are from Hong Kong and China.
Out of the 119 apps, only 15 have been removed from Indian user’s access thus far. The remaining ones can still be downloaded. Developers from Singapore, the US, the UK, and Australia are responsible for a lesser percentage of these apps. Google's announcement provided no explanation for the delay; thus, the reason for this limited application remains unclear.
The blocking orders were imposed in accordance with Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which gives the government the authority to limit public access to online content for reasons of public order, national security, or sovereignty. This follows similar bans on famous Chinese apps like ShareIt and TikTok in 2020. In June 20, 2020, the Indian government also banned about 100 Chinese apps. According to three app developers affected by the blocking order; Google notified them of the move. They declared their willingness to work with the Indian administration to resolve this matter. Some developers, however, are upset that authorities have not provided clear justifications for these actions.
With over a million downloads on the Google Play Store, ChillChat, famous software developed by Singapore based Mangostar Team, acknowledged learning that their app had been disabled. According to a corporate spokeswoman, developers and consumers in India would be significantly impacted by such a move. Blom, the developer of ChangApp, based in China, also received a banning order and was concerned about how it might impact their company.
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