PUBG Mobile App Among 118 New Chinese Apps Banned By the Government of India

The Government of India has banned the insanely popular Battle Royale game PUBG. The Centre’s move comes as a consequence of the tension between India and China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The stifle included 118 apps, like Ludo World, APUS Launcher and, Phone Booster. The Centre has also stated that it has received many complaints about the misuse of some mobile apps on Android and IOS platforms for stealing and profiling user data to servers outside India.

The Chinese-owned video game app has always headed the charts on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Around 25% of PUBG’s entire global gamer base comes from India. Within an hour of the announcement, Twitter flooded with people expressing grief over the ban, making PUBG the top Twitter trend in the world.

Section 69A of the Information Technology and the provisions of the Information Technology Rules 2009 allows the Centre to take such an action recognizing the concerns about the integrity, security, and defense of India. This was the Government’s third round of ban after China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) has been trying to shift its boundary with India in Ladakh since May 2020. Around 20 Indian soldiers martyred in June in a clash at Galwan Valley which soon resulted in the ban of 59 Chinese Apps by the Indian government including Tiktok.

Since Tiktok’s ban, the government has started focusing on the ‘Made in India’ apps. It has been organizing several competitions to motivate start-ups and youth to come up with indigenous alternatives. Lokesh Suji, the director of Esports Federation of India said that this is an opportunity for the game developers in India to develop alternative home-grown apps for the otherwise popular apps across categories and genres.

Also, Read- PM Modi’s “Mann ki Baat” Leveraged Indigenous Apps to the Top 10 on Google Play Store