Centre Probing Cases Of Banned Chinese Apps Making A Comeback: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

In a recent Rajya Sabha meeting, the Centre said that the banned Chinese apps are resurging in new formats either by rebranding themselves or using similar names.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), reportedly said that all such reports (of banned Chinese apps entering the Indian market) have been shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs for examination. 

Chandrasekhar responded to a query raised by YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy who questioned if banned Chinese apps are making a comeback in new avatar by using similar sounding names and managing to avoid the Indian government’s scrutiny.

The Minister further informed that the MeitY will follow the due process as stated in the IT Rules, 2009 to block access to such apps by the general public.

Clarifying the rumour around banned game PUBG coming back to India, the Minister said that the Chinese app was banned by MeitY in 2020 and since then, it is not available here. 

Replying to a question on crimes committed by children while playing the game PUBG, he said that a media report had come to light where a child killed his mother for not allowing to play PUBG. He added that the matter needs to be probed by the law enforcement agency to find the reason. 

Reddy asked if people are downloading banned Chinese apps via APK files that work as an alternative platform to downloaded apps. On this, the Minister answered that MeitY has already asked various third-party app stores including Google Play Store and Apple Store to block Chinese apps under the section 69A of the IT Act 2000.

He further informed that the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have also been instructed to block related domains and IPs via banned Chinese apps that can be accessed by people.

In the last two years, the Centre has banned over 250 Chinese apps, according to Inc42 analysis.

The present rivalry between India and China emerged from clashes that happened between armies of the two countries on Himalayan borders in 2020. Since then, the Centre has taken stringent measures to curb Chinese companies’ and investors’ participation in the Indian business ecosystem.

Owing to this, the Centre has amended laws and also, has been probing Indian business units of Chinese companies for some time now. Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and Huawei are some of the Chinese companies that are under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) radar.