TikTok has been banned by
the Government, along with 58 more apps including Shareit, UC Browser,
WeChat, and others. The common factor to these various apps? They're all
made by Chinese companies. The government in its notice stated that
these apps are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India,
defence of India, security of state, and public order.
As per a
release from the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY), the ministry
has blocked the apps under the provisions of Section 69 of the IT Act,
as well as provisions of the IT rules 2008, saying, “in view of
information available they are engaged in activities which is [sic]
prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India,
security of state and public order.”
A closer look at the 59 apps
shows that the common thread is their Chinese-origin, but otherwise it
is a very diverse set. Aside from TikTok, which is probably the best
known app in the list, it includes Shein, an online apparel retailer,
Shareit and ES File Explorer, which are used to transfer and manage
files, Helo and Likee, which are social networks very similar to TikTok,
news aggregator Newsdog, popular browser UC Browser, and strategy game
Clash of Kings.
Many companies on this list were among those which
had donated to the PM Cares fund, as highlighted by Congress leaders on
Sunday. TikTok had given Rs. 30 crores to the fund, while Xiaomi, which
has two apps on the banned list, donated Rs. 10 crores.
It's
a very mixed list, and it's not clear how it was compiled. In the
release, MEITY notes, “The Ministry of Information Technology has
received many complaints from various sources including several reports
about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms
for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an
unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. The
compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile
to national security and defence of India, is a matter of very deep and
immediate concern.”
According to MEITY, it has included
representations from citizens to the Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-IN) and also bipartisan concerns about apps raised both outside
and inside the parliament.
TikTok was in the news recently for “snooping” on users' clipboards, which was uncovered by the latest iOS 14 update that is
currently a beta for developers. The app has long been seen as
potentially overreaching in the data being collected. However, TikTok is
not unique in this, and neither are apps from China. One of the biggest
data scandals of our times is how Cambridge Analytica used data from Facebook to influence political campaigns.
The
Internet Freedom Foundation, an advocacy to advance constitutional
freedoms in a digital society responded to the government's release with
a statement. It
said
that this was not a legal order issued under Section 69A of the IT Act.
It added that the blocks had been directed in an aggregated manner,
while the section is individualised in nature. “The Blocking Rules, 2009
specifically provide for a defined process of notice, hearing and a
reasoned order. These processes emerge from the Shreya Singhal judgement
and apply to all grounds for blocking, including those premised on
national security,” the IFF explained.
What's a little unclear at
present is how this rule will be enforced — whether they will simply be
removed from the App Store and Google Play, and if so, will users who
have already downloaded the apps be able to keep using them, or whether
the access to the servers of these apps will be blocked.
TikTok has previously been blocked in India — it was
removed from the two stores last year — but later restored. Some months
later, both TikTok and Helo faced a ban over “anti-national activities”, but in this case it was able to keep going.
The
current ban is likely related to the conflict between India and China
and it's therefore less clear if it will be as easy to resolve as in the
past. Anti-China sentiment has seen the Make in India manufacturing
units of companies like Oppo get defaced, and the brand had to
reconsider holding a live launch event for one of its latest phones in
the country.
All one can say for certain is that the current ban comes as a big opportunity to apps that are made in India, from Mitron to Chingari.
The
entire list of 59 apps was included as an Annexure and it includes
everything from chat apps, to tools such as ES File Explorer, to games.
It's hard to understand why these specific apps were chosen. The full
list of banned apps is as follows.
- TikTok
- Shareit
- Kwai
- UC Browser
- Baidu map
- Shein
- Clash of Kings
- DU battery saver
- Helo
- Likee
- YouCam makeup
- Mi Community
- CM Browers
- Virus Cleaner
- APUS Browser
- ROMWE
- Club Factory
- Newsdog
- Beutry Plus
- WeChat
- UC News
- QQ Mail
- Weibo
- Xender
- QQ Music
- QQ Newsfeed
- Bigo Live
- SelfieCity
- Mail Master
- Parallel Space
- Mi Video Call — Xiaomi
- WeSync
- ES File Explorer
- Viva Video — QU Video Inc
- Meitu
- Vigo Video
- New Video Status
- DU Recorder
- Vault- Hide
- Cache Cleaner DU App studio
- DU Cleaner
- DU Browser
- Hago Play With New Friends
- Cam Scanner
- Clean Master — Cheetah Mobile
- Wonder Camera
- Photo Wonder
- QQ Player
- We Meet
- Sweet Selfie
- Baidu Translate
- Vmate
- QQ International
- QQ Security Center
- QQ Launcher
- U Video
- V fly Status Video
- Mobile Legends
- DU Privacy
