On Monday, India declared Chinese apps as “prejudicial” to national security. The apps included TikTok, SHAREiT, We Chat, and other 56 apps. The IT Ministry stated that this move of the government will “safeguard the interests” of mobile and internet users in the Indian public.
This step will ensure the safety and sovereignty of the Indian cyberspace. According to an official statement, the IT Ministry has received many accusations from multiple sources, including some reports about the ill-usage of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms. The complaints are regarding stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user’s data in an unauthorized manner to servers that 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 affects the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of immediate concern which requires emergency measures,” the statement stated.
Even the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs, has also given a piece of exhaustive advice for blocking these malicious apps.
The report said that based on the data and after receiving more reliable information, these apps are a threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India. Hence, the Government of India has determined to forbid the usage of certain apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet-enabled devices.
Just a day after the ban was imposed, the app TikTok has stopped working on all devices and even on the website, as Live Mint reports. Since April, after the lockdown was imposed in India, it became one of TikTok’s largest markets. 30% of TikTok’s 2 billion downloads were from India, according to app data analytics firm Sensor Tower.
China also “firmly opposed” the measure, calling it a “violation of World Trade Organisation rules.”
“India’s measure, selectively and discriminatory, aims at certain Chinese apps on ambiguous and far-fetched grounds, runs against fair and transparent procedure requirements, abuses national security exceptions, and suspects of violating WTO rules,” said Ji Rong, spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India.
The statement also added how this move would protect the interests of crores of mobile and internet users across the country. “This decision is a targeted move to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.”