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On the 2nd of September, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced the suspension of 118 Chinese apps, including the famous battle royale, PUBG Mobile. The ministry also published a press release on PIB's official website, which confirmed that these apps were banned in India under Section 69A.
The move by the Indian government came as a bolt from the blue for the entire gaming community. It is not the first time that the government has banned applications that have links to China. At many as 59 applications were suspended in June this year, and the government hasn't let their clones launch too.
However, many users are still unaware of why these applications were banned. Speculations have been making their rounds on the internet.
Why is PUBG Mobile banned in India?
The official press release stated that the 118 mobile applications, including PUBG Mobile, were banned in India because they were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order."
In simple words, these apps were stealing user data and surreptitiously transmitting it to servers outside the country. Hence, the decision was taken to ensure the safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.
In the press release, the Ministry said:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.
As these applications were found to be involved in activities that are not permitted under the IT Act, the government had to ban them with immediate effect. All of the restricted applications have now be removed from the Google Play Store.
Tencent's response to the PUBG Mobile Ban
The developers of PUBG Mobile, Tencent, said on Thursday that the privacy and data of its users are of the utmost priority and that it takes the protection of them very seriously.
The company will engage with Indian authorities to find a quick resolution.
