Indian govt blocks 232 apps operated by Chinese, foreign entities

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The government has blocked as many as 232 apps operated by foreign entities, many of them Chinese, for being involved in betting, gambling and unauthorised loan services.

The decision was taken by the IT ministry on the recommendations of the home ministry, which had looked into the matter, sources said.

“The order to block 138 apps that were involved in betting, gambling and money laundering were issued last evening. Separately, an order to block 94 apps engaged in unauthorised loan service has also been issued. These apps were being operated from offshore entities, including Chinese. They were posing a threat to the economic stability of the country,” an official source said, without giving much details about the names of the apps.

The MHA had sought the action on an ‘urgent and emergency’ basis, one of the sources said. The action was taken under Section 69A of the IT Act as the apps contained material that was seen as prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

There had been several complaints against the apps, many of whom were alleged to be extorting money from people and harassing them after extending loans to them.

The sources said that there were many suicides in states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana due to such harassment. Many of the apps were not available on the app stores, though they could be downloaded through individual links or websites.

Since the start of political tensions with China in 2020 following an LAC clash, India has banned several popular Chinese apps in the country, including TikTok and WeChat Messenger. The country had last year blocked access to several Chinese mobile apps citing security concerns, following which China expressed concerns over bilateral economic and trade cooperation. (The Times of India)