India blocks PUBG, 117 other Chinese mobile apps over security concerns

The government has banned 118 more Chinese apps including Tencent owned popular mobile gaming app PUBG citing security worries, in a move which follows action just days ago at the northern border with China in the Chushul subsector of Ladakh.

This is the third round of restrictions or ban on mobile apps imposed by India in the past two months amidst rising tension with the Chinese army. 

On June 29, the government had banned 59 apps including TikTok, and a month later it had banned another 47 apps. The fresh list of banned apps includes WeChat Work, AliPay, AlipayHK, Mobile Taobao Baidu, U-Dictionary, Live U, Parallel Space Lite, Game of Sultans, AppLock, Gallery HD, and Ludo All-Star.

“In the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India and the security of the State, and using the sovereign powers, the Government of India has decided to block the usage of certain apps,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). “This decision is a targeted move to ensure the safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.” 

According to Meity, it received several complaints from various sources including reports about the misuse of these apps available across iOS and Android. The complaints alleged stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which possibly had locations outside India.

The ban on the 118 apps will open opportunities for local entrepreneurs to build and scale similar apps. The ban on TikTok had triggered a race among established companies and new players to launch clones of TikTok, Bigo Live, Vigo, and other popular but now banned apps in the short video space. 

While many of the apps are not popular in India, PUBG has been a runaway success, emerging as one of the most sought after games locally. Until July, PUBG had cornered nearly 24% of the total 734 million downloads from India. 

The government may have cited security concerns for its move to block the apps but it appears to be a fallout of the deteriorating relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors over escalating border skirmishes and even casualties. 

If the current situation at the border doesn’t improve soon, the app ecosystem along with cross-border trade and business with China will take a big hit with evolving ramifications by the day.