In a befitting reply to China, India has moved to ban 59 Chinese apps from the country. The list includes widely popular application TikTok, SHAREit, UC Browser among many others. Following the martyrdom of 20 soldiers in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, India has now decided to economically lash at their Chinese counterparts. Sources also said that these apps were comprising users with private details and violating terms of usage.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged everyone to boycott all Chinese products and focus on “buying local and be vocal to make India stronger.”
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Taking to Twitter Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote that the decision to ban these apps came to protect the sovereignty, safety, security, and integrity of India.
For safety, security, defence, sovereignty & integrity of India and to protect data & privacy of people of India the Government has banned 59 mobile apps.
Jai Hind! ??— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 29, 2020
The Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology in another statement also said these apps were a security and privacy threat to people.
“The compilation of these data, it’s mining, and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures. At the same time, there have been raging concerns on aspects relating to data security and safeguarding the privacy of 130 crore Indians,” said the release.
The decision to ban these apps comes amid the huge outcry of traders and civil society to ban Chinese products after the June 15 faceoff. The government sacked in its contract with a Chinese firm that had a Rs 471-crore railways contract.
Experts weighing in on the ban have predicted huge financial losses for Chinese ambitions. India’s move could ultimately lead more people to follow suit and ban Chinese based applications.
Here is the full list of apps that have been banned:
