India bans Chinese apps as per reports from Delhi. It includes majorly popular apps like TikTok along with UC Browser and WeChat. This comes after the economic backlash against China after June 15 clashes at Ladakh. 20 soldiers of the Indian army martyred in a violent face-off.
According to sources of the intelligence agencies, some of the Chinese apps have been violating terms of usage. Those compromise user’s privacy and are used as malware or spyware. As soon as the report was announced, the Indian government decided to delete the Indian government’s TikTok account ‘MyGov’, which had more than 1.1 million followed.
The government’s move comes soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will give a befitting reply to China due to the lost lives of the soldiers. There is a nationwide boycott of the Chinese product’s campaign happening in India in order to promote “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” (self-sufficient India). He also asked Indians to be ‘vocal for local’ and support Indian manufacturers and sellers.
Why India bans Chinese apps?
According to the statement released with regard to the blocking of apps, it seems like the initiative had been taken to keep the country secure and also retain integrity. As per the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology, there has been an “exhaustive recommendation” requested by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Reports suggest that the security of data and privacy are major reasons why the apps need to be removed.
The government had also chipped in with a bar on Chinese products for 4G up-gradation of state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. They sacked one Chinese firm that had a railway contract worth INR 471 crore.
The government also mentioned the “Country of Origin” mandatory for all seller’s listings in their products under Government e-Marketplace. The move will soon be added to ban Chinese products from other e-commerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon.
According to experts, the bans of Chinese apps will be a major blow for China’s Digital Silk Route plans. They will be losing millions of dollars. Moreover, this can be an influence on other countries who might also ban Chinese apps.
The government of India has always been with China but it is now hurting them where it hurts the most. This is India’s first blow towards China since the border clashes. It shows that India has many other options and isn’t dependent on China.
