India is banning TikTok and several other well-known Chinese apps, saying they pose a "threat to sovereignty and integrity," in the latest indication of escalating tensions between the two countries.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a statement Monday that it had received many complaints about misuse and transmission of user data by some mobile apps to servers 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 ministry said, listing 59 apps including many prominent Chinese ones that will be subject to the ban.
While the Indian government's statement did not mention China by name, the ban comes as military tensions between the two countries continue to escalate following deadly border clashes earlier this month that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead. Many Indians have called for a boycott of Chinese goods and services, particularly from China's dominant tech industry.
"There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against apps that harm India's sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens," the government added. Other popular Chinese apps on the list include the video game Clash of Kings, messaging app WeChat, social network Weibo and photo app CamScanner.
No comments:
Post a Comment