Mobile Apps – The MHA had identified 348 application that were collecting user information & transmitting it in an unauthorized manner to servers located outside the country for profiling Governments. These applications were developed in various countries, including China MoS Chandrasekhar. The move is part of the broader crackdown on China app or Chinese connection; Nearly 320 Chinese mobile app have been banned in India in the last two year.
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India Bans 348 Mobile Apps
So far, the government has blocked 348 mobile apps for allegedly collecting user information and transmitting it in an unauthorized manner to servers outside the country, the Minister of State MoS for Electronics and Information Technology MeitY told Parliament, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Chandrasekhar said The Ministry of Home Affairs MHA identified 348 mobile apps that were collecting user information and transmitting it in an unauthorized manner to servers located outside the country for profiling.
Profiling refers to information collected by companies that could explicitly identify a user. Referred to as the digital representation of a person, user profiles are often criticized for invading a person’s privacy in order to deliver personalized advertising services.
According to the MoS, the apps were developed in several countries, including China.
The apps were blocked by MeitY based on multiple request from the MHA. Going deeper into the reasons, the minister said that such data transmissions violate the sovereignty, integrity, defense of the country and the security of the State.
Chinese apps
The move is part of a larger crackdown on app believed to have originated in China or have a Chinese connection. In the past two year, the government banned 320 Chinese apps under the Information Technology Law of 2000 in the interest of state sovereignty, integrity, defense & security.
Last month, Chandrasekhar reported to the Rajya Sabha that some of the banned Chinese apps were being re-listed on app markets in new formats, either by rebranding or using similar names.
He said that MeitY had shared all such reports about the re-entry of banned Chinese apps in the Indian market with the MHA for review.
Furthermore, the popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India BGMI was also removed from Google Play and Apple App Store in India last week. It was later reported that access was blocked over the company’s links to China.
The bans enforce the government’s stance on the localization of customer data. (Mobile Apps)
In the draft Personal Data Protection Law, the government had sought strong laws to require local processing of critical personal data. However, the bill was withdrawn on Wednesday.