India banned another set of mobile phone applications in the country. Aside from the first 59 apps including TikTok and WeChat, another 47 apps are set to be prohibited from using inside the country. Interestingly, all of them are usually copycats of the first 59 banned apps. One of the list's apps is the famous free-to-play multiplayer action game, PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, or PUBG.
PUBG will be banned in India?
Business Insider reported on Monday, July 27, about the next set of banned apps in India. A total number of 47 apps are now faced with a ban notice on favorite online play stores in the country. Most of the 47 apps have similarities with the latest banned and still trending app, TikTok.
"Govt of India bans 47 more Chinese apps which were variants and cloned copies of the 59 apps that were banned in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite, and VFY Lite. Over 250 more apps under radar, including PubG. #DigitalStrike," said Punit Agarwal, head of the Delhi BJP's IT and social media cell.
Just like what Agarwal said on Twitter, the banning is not yet finished. This means another set of applications are rumored to be deleted its access permanently in India.
An exact number of 275 apps are now under investigation, based on the government. Interestingly, one common game that is part of the 275 listicles of India ban is the famous free-to-play multiplayer action game PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS or PUBG.
Why the apps are banned?
The reason behind the PUBG fiasco is not yet clearly explained by Indian authorities. However, the Indian ruling explains that all the banned apps or soon to be banned apps have "activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order."
Like the first 59 apps, mostly Chinese, the additional 47 apps are harmful to the security of Indians in the country.
The first 59
Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016. With smartphone sales booming and India preparing for nationwide 4G Internet access, India's film and TV industry hope the ease of tapping your phone for the latest release will generate profits, at last, overcoming the problems of woefully few cinemas and rampant piracy. The picture was taken on April 2, 2016
The first 59 banned apps of India have been a controversial action made by the country. Since the tension between China and India on the Himalayas border, both countries have been cold.
Out of the 59 apps, 27 from the list originally came from Chinese companies, as reported via Tech Times. They listed these apps with illegal " mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India."
China, however, was 'strongly concerned' about the situation.
"We want to stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international and local laws-regulations. The Indian government has a responsibility to uphold international investors' legal rights, including Chinese ones," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.
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Written by: Jamie P.
