Last month the Indian Government took an unexpected step by banning 59 popular Chinese apps in India. The reason for prohibiting 59 Chinese apps was some security concerns related to the data breach. While everyone was busy trolling TikTok and other banned apps, the government added some other 250+ Chinese apps on the radar. According to the Economic Times, the government is now looking into the popular Chinese apps such as PUBG, Xiaomi’s Zili, Resso, Aliexpress, and ULike. However, the ban is not confirmed yet. Still, there are possibilities of getting PUBG banned in India and other apps as well. Now, most of the gamers would be eagerly waiting to know, will PUBG get banned in India? In this article, we will discuss the reasons behind taking such a big step of Resso ban and also what has Government officials said on this matter.
Government Officials Statement On PUBG Ban in India and Other 250 Apps
According to the sources, “Some of these apps have been red-flagged due to security reasons, and others have been listed for violation of data sharing and privacy concerns”. The government may ban all apps or none from the list. We all aware of the security flaws found in TikTok and other Chinese apps. As of now, the Indian government is examining all the 275 Chinese apps. The officials said that “we are looking on these apps because of China’s data-sharing practices with third-parties. Previously banned apps have been caught sharing data with the foreign government, and this could bring critical issues for the country’s security.”
While the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent 77 questions to the 59 banned-Chinese apps companies, the MeitY has asked security-related questions like whether they are working on behalf of foreign governments, or involves political influences, etc. The MeitY has given these companies three weeks to respond, that is still the first week of August. According to the ET, the Senior government officials said: “A set of rules or defined procedures may take time but is the correct process to go about it in the future”. The statement clarifies that the government will set some terms and regulations for the apps operating in India.
List of Chinese Apps to Be Examined
The list also includes 14 apps by Xiaomi and some lesser-known apps such as Capcut and FaceU. Apart from this, it also contains some apps from Chinese tech giants such as Meitu, LBE Tech, Perfect Corp, Sina Corp, Netease Games, and Yoozoo Global. With that, the government has decided to ban 47 apps from the list of 275 apps. These 47 apps may include clones and the lite versions of previously banned apps. Now, 250 more apps are on the list, which includes PUBG, Aliexpress, Resso, etc.
Companies With Chinese Investments
Some sources also claim that the government has added some non-Chinese companies with Chinese firms investments. We all have played Supercell games such as Clash Of Clans, Brawl Star, etc. Last year, Tencent bought an immersive stake in the gaming company. So, some other apps are also on the list.
Will PUBG Get Banned in India?
Most of the users believe that PUBG is not a Chinese company, so why would the Indian Government ban it? Yes, PUBG is not a Chinese gaming company. But, the government will target it due to mixed ownership. In the beginning, China didn’t have PUBG. Users in China had to play PUBG using VPNs. To enter the Chinese market officially, PUBG Corporation (a subsidiary of Bluehole) had to make a deal with Tencent, seeking permission to release the Window’s version (developed by PUBG Corporation) of the game in China. Shortly after some time, Tencent acquired a 1.5% equity stake worth Rs 440 crores (approx.) in the Bluehole company. Notably, Bluehole owns the PUBG corporation.
Moreover, Tencent announced that it planned to increase investment by about Rs 3147 crores. All of this will allow Tencent to acquire a total of 11.5% stake. Due to the mixed-ownership reasons, the government had not added it previously. But now it has been added to the list. Same with Supercell as well. Now, we hope you can understand will PUBG Get Banned in India? If yes, then why?
That’s all for this article. We hope you liked it. We will see you in the next one. Till then Be Safe and Be Happy.
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