"PUBG Mobile," a popular online multiplayer shooting title, is one of the 118 Chinese apps blocked by India on Wednesday. The move is in the interest of India's integrity, sovereignty, defense, and security, the government said in a statement. Last June 18, India banned WeChat, TikTok and 57 other Chinese apps.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a press statement confirming that the newly banned apps are engaged in activities prejudicial to the country's sovereignty and integrity. Aside from Tencent, major names in the industry like NetEase, Baidu, and Alibaba affiliate Ant Group are also on the list.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs reported multiple instances of violated user data from the new list of banned apps. The new list of banned apps in India also includes online payment services and software to edit selfies, games, and dating sites.
On list of 118 Chinese apps added to those earlier banned by India include some big names: Alipay, AlipayHK, Baidu, PUBG, Youku, Rise of Kingdoms, and some WeChat affiliates (WeChat itself was banned in June, along with TikTok, Weibo and 56 other apps) https://t.co/AJmZMVAoCW — Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) September 2, 2020
Tencent's "PUBG" mobile app has millions of users in India. The company said that it was informed of the government's recent action, but it did not release any statement. While a South Korean company developed "PUBG," the mobile version that has taken the world by storm was developed by the Chinese conglomerate, Tencent.
"PUBG" mobile is among the top five smartphone games with more than 734 million downloads. In India alone, the game has almost 50 million active players. "PUBG" mobile has 13 million daily users in India, according to reports.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that India has repeatedly violated bilateral agreements and important consensus on the frontier since the start of the year. India's latest move comes a day after India accused China troops of provocative action in the South Bank of Ladakh's Pangong Lake. China is not pleased with the latest banning of Chinese apps.
India and China fought a border war in 1962 and have been involved in a series of violent clashes over the disputed Himalayan frontier recently. A series of clashes and showdowns between the troops of these countries started in May. Last June, 20 Indian soldiers died in conflict at Galwan Valley. Chinese troops also had their share of casualties but have not revealed the exact number. Chinese troops made a similar attempt on August 31.
