PUBG Game Over for India!
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology invoking its power under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act blocked 118 mobile applications, including popular gaming app PUBG in view of the ‘emergent nature of threats’.
The ministry has cited security concerns as the reason for the move. It has said that the information available to them pointed towards these apps being engaged in activities which are ‘prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state, and public order.’
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Ministry had received complaints about misuse of some mobile apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. The information about the mining and profiling of data by elements 'hostile to national security’, said the Ministry, was a matter of deep and immediate concern requiring emergency measures.
The banned apps include Baidu, FaceU, CamCard, WeChat Work, Cyber Hunter, besides PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile LITE. This move comes after fresh tensions between India and China in the border area in Eastern Ladakh.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs had also sent an ‘exhaustive’ recommendation for blocking these apps.
There are nearly 33 million active PUBG players in India making it one of the most popular apps downloaded in the country. Earlier, in June, the Centre had banned 59 Chinese apps such as TikTok and UC Browser citing security concerns.