Published 09:21 IST, June 30th 2020
Congress' skeptical first response to Modi govt banning 59 Chinese apps: Asks 3 questions
Congress' Manish Tewari directed his question to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, asking if the move to ban Chinese apps was thoroughly considered
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Following the Indian government's decision to ban 59 mostly China-origin applications, including TikTok & UC Browser, Congress' Manish Tewari questioned the move of the Centre, asking if it was completely thought about before implementing it.
The Centre has stated that it has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of these apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.
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Hence, attributing the move as one to protect the sovereignty of Indian Cyberspace and to ensure interests of crores of Indian mobile users, the government has stated that this was a major blow to China’s Digital Silk Route ambitions. This move comes amid the ongoing India-China standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Congress' Manish Tewari directed his question to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, asking if the 59-app-ban was thoroughly considered. The Congress leader raised two queries pertaining to the ban of the applications - one about accessing these banned apps through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and the second about the applications that lie dormant in millions of Indians' phones. Further, Manish Tewari deemed the ban to be 'symbolic more than substantive'.
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Congress questions Centre's ban on Chinese apps
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The Congress leader also asked why Alibaba wasn't banned yet and that was it not done so because of its connection to Paytm. Further, Manish Tewari alleged that via this ban, the government was trying to certify other Chinese apps were not a threat to the
Indian society.
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For his part, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma had welcomed the move
IT Ministry's statement
The Information Technology Ministry in a statement said it has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about the 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, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the statement said.
A formal order asking phone companies to block the applications is being issued. The move will "safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace", the IT ministry added.
List of Chinese apps banned by the Centre
1. TikTok
2. Shareit
3. Kwai
4. UC Browser
5. Baidu map
6. Shein
7. Clash of Kings
8. DU battery saver
9. Helo
10. Likee
11. YouCam makeup
12. Mi Community
13. CM Browers
14. Virus Cleaner
15. APUS Browser
16. ROMWE
17. Club Factory
18. Newsdog
19. Beutry Plus
20. WeChat
21. UC News
22. QQ Mail
23. Weibo
24. Xender
25. QQ Music
26. QQ Newsfeed
27. Bigo Live
28. SelfieCity
29. Mail Master
30. Parallel Space
31. Mi Video Call – Xiaomi
32. WeSync
33. ES File Explorer
34. Viva Video – QU Video Inc
35. Meitu
36. Vigo Video
37. New Video Status
38. DU Recorder
39. Vault- Hide
40. Cache Cleaner DU App studio
41. DU Cleaner
42. DU Browser
43. Hago Play With New Friends
44. Cam Scanner
45. Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile
46. Wonder Camera
47. Photo Wonder
48. QQ Player
49. We Meet
50. Sweet Selfie
51. Baidu Translate
52. Vmate
53. QQ International
54. QQ Security Center
55. QQ Launcher
56. U Video
57. V fly Status Video
58. Mobile Legends
59. DU Privacy
Updated 09:21 IST, June 30th 2020