The Chinese apps against which the adverse security inputs were generated include Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera, Music Player, Music Plus, Volume Booster, Video Players Media all formats, Viva Video Editor, Nice Video Baidu, AppLock and Astracraft, among others
A fresh order is likely to be issued by the Government of India imposing a ban on 54 Chinese apps, which pose a big threat to the country’s security, highly placed sources said on Monday.
The government believes that these 54 Chinese apps pose a ”threat to the privacy and security of Indians”, according to news agency ANI, which cited sources.
A notification banning the operations of these Chinese apps in India will be formally issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the sources said. The Chinese apps against which the adverse security inputs were generated include Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera, Music Player, Music Plus, Volume Booster, Video Players Media all formats, Viva Video Editor, Nice Video Baidu, AppLock and Astracraft, among others, the sources said.
Most of these apps belong to major Chinese technology firms such as Tencent, Alibaba and gaming firm NetEase. The Chinese technology firms either “rebranded or rechristened” the apps that were banned by the Centre in 2020.
MeITY, which had earlier banned the Chinese apps in 2000, has directed the Google Playstore to block these applications, the sources said.
MeITY has taken necessary steps in this regard through the powers vested in it by Section 69a of the Information Technology Act, 2000, they added.
Starting with about 59 apps in the first round, the Centre has banned around 224 Chinese apps including popular applications like TikTok, Shareit, WeChat, Helo, Likee, UC News, Bigo Live, UC Browser, ES File Explorer, and Mi Community, since June 2020.
In the backdrop of its on-going stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh with China, the government took the action against the Chinese firms. The stand-off has been going on since April 2020. India shares a 3,400 km-long LAC with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
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