In a piece of latest news, the Indian government (once again) banned 54 Chinese apps in a row. Citing security concerns, the ban is a result of tensions between India and China, standing disputedly on both sides of one fence.
According to the Indian government’s citations, the ban is a result of security concerns arising from the usage of these apps. The Indian ministry of electronics and IT has banned several apps including those belonging to large Chinese tech firms such as Tencent, Alibaba, and others that are re-branded versions of apps already banned by India in 2020.
In 2020, the Indian government had banned 59 apps including the popular content platform TikTok and apparel app Shein. The major reason behind the bans were security concerns. The banned apps were found to be engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order.” They were accused of compromising users’ privacy, spying for sensitive information, covertly running propaganda obverse to Indian interests, and hence, posing a threat to the country.
How did the apps cause a security breach?
By restricting tech giants like Google, Facebook, Twitter from entering the country, China permitted its own tech companies to operate freely on the field. These apps currently serve as arms of the political regime to fulfil their purpose.
Following are some instances that reflect how these apps caused major breaches in user’s security:
- India is not the first country to raise a voice against the security invasion caused by the currently banned Chinese apps. In 2020, the US national security advisor Robert O’Brien said all Chinese companies function as arms of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to further its ideological and geopolitical agendas. O’Brien quoted that the apps collect the most intimate data (words, actions, purchases, whereabouts, and many more), map networks (friends, family) and compromise with the data—also known as microtargeting.
- Years before the decision to ban the apps, the Indian government appointed various cyber security wings of the government and intelligence units who called action against some of the apps. These apps were suspected to be stealing information for greater Chinese penetration into India’s youth market and censoring content for moulding options.
- The Galwan clash incident further exaggerated the scenario. Moreover, the US highlighted that the Chinese government is using smartphone apps for propaganda and promoting Chinese ideology.
To simply put, the banned apps collected an individual user’s information (sensitive, personal, ideological), scrutinized it for ‘political’ use and curtailed it to evoke aggression within and out of the country’s borders. Moreover, it allegedly compromised with users’ sensitive data by invading their privacy—which goes against the laws of ethical use of the internet and mobile applications.
Also read: India bans 118 More Chinese Apps including PUBG Mobile
