Government Bans 118 Chinese Apps in India including PUBG| Why the ban| Is PUBG a Chinese Game?

Government of India bans another 118 Chinese apps including PUBG on September 02, 2020 considering the nation security and user privacy.

Indian government has banned 59 Chinese app on June 29, 2020 including the trending TikTok, UCbrowser and We chat, regarding the nations security concerns aimed with the issues in border. On September 02, 2020 Ministry of Information & Technology has banned another 118 Chinese apps in India including PUBG, which has about 50 million players globally. The decision is a step towards ensuring the security and legitimacy of the Indian cyberspace. The government said the applications were involved in activities "undermining India's sovereignty and integrity, protecting India, state security and social order." Prohibition is under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act which is read with the relevant provisions of Information Technology. This is the largest sweep against Chinese Technology Company.

Why did Government of India Banned Chinese Apps?

Conflict between India and China: 

Great military forces have been arguing for decades over a very high point, especially in an uninhabited area. Their troops met face-to-face in many places along the shared border of 3,440km (2,100-mile). The border, or Line of Actual Control, has not been demarcated, and China and India have differing views on where it should be located, leading to common “violations” along borders. Often these do not escalate into conflicts; Critical border crossings are currently rare, though this is the fourth time since 2013. The clash came after clashes erupted months ago over a new India road built in Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control that separates the parties. That infuriated China, which had deployed troops and built its own infrastructure in a hostile environment, bringing troops closer to each other and increasing the risk of conflict.

The ban of 118 Chinese app came after the Chinese incursion attempts in Indian Territory at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. China and India have been locked in a bitter border dispute for months and the ban started when Indian intelligence agencies red flagged these Chinese apps over safety and privacy issues of users and according to their reports these apps are doing data mining. So considering the recommendations of the intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Information & Technology has decided to block Chinese apps and also ban app which have some linking to china. Government initially banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok which has more than 100 million active users in India and recently the ban was extended to another 118 apps which seems to be a great way to strike against China. According to Government reports these apps are doing data breaching and stealing the personal data of Indians, considering the data security and security of the nation government decided to ban these Chinese apps or apps that have link to China.

Smartphone data privacy is a nightmare

Why PUBG banned in India? Is PUBG a Chinese Game?

PUBG is not a Chinese game and it is developed by a PUBG Corporation owned by BlueHole, located in Korea. the game is developed for PC and later decided to extend for smart phones. The mobile version of the game is developed by Tencent Games which is a Chinese company and have 10% share in BlueHole, So the origin country of PUBG is not China, since the PUBG mobile have link to China and Government of India claims that PUBG is collecting the users data and Tencent Games have access to those data, So considering the user security and nation security India has decided to ban PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite. But both PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite are available in Google Play Store and App Stores, the users who have active PUBG account can play PUBG. Within few days the apps will be removed from both Play store and App stores and the active gamers will also face difficulties in playing.

Government has banned only Smartphone versions of PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite, the PC version of the game has no ban and users can play PUBG PC and PUBG Console as they are not developed by Tencent Games. PUBG is one of the most famous mobile game which have around half a billion downloaded globally and having 50 million active players around the world. PUBG is one of the most interactive game and having best game play. India have huge number of PUBG gamers and in the lockdown period the number of gamers have grown exponentially, in fact PUBG was a major time pass for many in this lockdown period. Many parents are praising the Government decision since there are large number of PUBG addicts in the society.  

Many players have invested in the game for buying skins, Royale Pass and more, they all are worried about their money and PUBG officials are not provided any statement regarding this. India is developing many alternatives of PUBG and Government of India is supporting all Indian made apps and even conducting huge hackathons to select the best one and make India self dependent.

Would the ban of these 118 apps help in user security or nation security?

The ban of Chinese app or Chinese link app will avoid the flow of data from India to China, thus avoiding China to access our data but the concerns again exist and will be there. Government of India has only banned Chinese apps, India is a favorite market of Chinese smart phones. In India almost 80% of the phones sold are from China. Xiaomi or MI has almost 45% plus online sales in India. Indian markets are ruled by Chinese smart phones like Redmi, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, One Plus and many others. These smart phones still have those blocked apps and even they are collecting user’s data. Price, features and quality make them favorite for Indian market. Government of India should take actions to promote Indian smart phones and also promote Indian companies to come up with innovate Smart phones. Indian want to shift from Chinese smart phones but they don’t have enough options to think other than those Chinese band, which force them to use these Chinese mobiles.

List of 118 Chinese Apps Banned in India

Below is the list of 118 Chinese apps or apps which have Chinese link banned by Indian Government on Wednesday. 

Sl No.	Apps	Sl No.	Apps
1	APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers,   Smart	61	Web Browser - Fast, Privacy & Light Web   Explorer
2	APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper,   HideApps	62	Web Browser - Secure Explorer
3	APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security,   Cleaner	63	Music player - Audio Player
4	APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner,   Anti-Virus	64	Video Player - All Format HD Video Player
5	APUS Flashlight-Free & Bright	65	Lamour Love All Over The World
6	Cut Cut – Cut Out & Photo Background   Editor	66	Amour- video chat & call all over the   world
7	Baidu	67	MV Master - Make Your Status Video &   Community
8	Baidu Express Edition	68	MV Master - Best Video Maker & Photo   Video Editor
9	FaceU - Inspire your Beauty	69	APUS Message Center-Intelligent   management
10	ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing   deals	70	LivU Meet new people & Video chat with   strangers
11	CamCard - Business Card Reader	71	Carrom Friends : Carrom Board & Pool   Game-
12	CamCard Business	72	Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game &   Board Games
13	CamCard for Salesforce	73	Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing   Games
14	CamOCR	74	Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG   Game
15	InNote	75	Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie,   Collage
16	VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing	76	GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji
17	Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone   Booster	77	U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now   Translate
18	WeChat reading	78	Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style
19	Government WeChat	79	Tantan - Date For Real
20	Small Q brush	80	MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat   karen
21	Tencent Weiyun	81	Kitty Live - Live Streaming & Video Live   Chat
22	Pitu	82	Malay Social Dating App to Date & Meet   Singles
23	WeChat Work	83	Alipay
24	Cyber Hunter	84	AlipayHK
25	Cyber Hunter Lite	85	Mobile Taobao
26	Knives Out-No rules, just fight!	86	Youku
27	Super Mecha Champions	87	Road of Kings- Endless Glory
28	LifeAfter	88	Sina News
29	Dawn of Isles	89	Netease News
30	Ludo World-Ludo Superstar	90	Penguin FM
31	Chess Rush	91	Murderous Pursuits
32	PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik	92	Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology
33	PUBG MOBILE LITE	93	Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese
34	Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade	94	HUYA LIVE – Game Live Stream
35	Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon	95	Little Q Album
36	Dank Tanks	96	Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting   Landlords
37	Warpath	97	Hi Meitu
38	Game of Sultans	98	Mobile Legends: Pocket
39	Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos	99	VPN for TikTok
40	Smart AppLock (App Protect)	100	VPN for TikTok
41	Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault   Developer Team	101	Penguin E-sports Live assistant
42	Hide App-Hide Application Icon	102	Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special   offers and low prices
43	AppLock	103	iPick
44	AppLock Lite	104	Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera & Face   Selfie
45	Dual Space - Multiple Accounts & App   Cloner	105	Parallel Space Lite - Dual App
46	ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat & video chat   online	106	"Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC
47	ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming & video chat   app	107	MARVEL Super War NetEase Games
48	Music - Mp3 Player	108	AFK Arena
49	Music Player - Audio Player & 10 Bands   Equalizer	109	Creative Destruction NetEase Games
50	HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera	110	Crusaders of Light NetEase Games
51	Cleaner - Phone Booster	111	Mafia City Yotta Games
52	Web Browser & Fast Explorer	112	Onmyoji NetEase Games
53	Video Player All Format for Android	113	Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games
54	Photo Gallery HD & Editor	114	Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully   upgraded
55	Photo Gallery & Album	115	Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games
56	Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download	116	Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games
57	HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters &   Panorama	117	Soul Hunters
58	HD Camera Pro & Selfie Camera	118	Rules of Survival
59	Music Player - MP3 Player & 10 Bands   Equalizer
60	Gallery HD