For context, PUBG Mobile is operated by Tencent which is one of the leading game developers based in China. While the game was under scrutiny due to the fact that the developer was Chinese, it managed to escape the initial ban with some changes to its privacy policy. However, looks like the changes were not sufficient for the Government of India to look past the privacy concerns. The press release states that the ban has been put in place under Section 69A of the IT Act as these 118 apps including PUBG Mobile was found to be misusing user data in an unauthorized manner. The press release reads as follows – “In the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security of the State and using the sovereign powers, the Government of India has decided to block the usage of certain Apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet-enabled devices. This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.” The surprising part though is that some other games licensed to Tencent like Garena: Free Fire and COD Mobile have not been banned among the 118 apps. We will have to wait and see if the ban is extended to these games as well in the coming days. Along with PUBG, the list of 118 apps include some commonly used apps like APUS Launcher, ShareSave, CamCard, WeChat, Ludo World, PUBG Mobile Lite, Smart AppLock, Parallel Space, Rules of Survival, etc. You can find the list of all the banned apps below.
List of 118 Banned Chinese Apps
Given the popularity of PUBG, this is a huge blow to the Indian gaming community and only time will tell if the ban will be lifted if/when there are amendments in the way these apps collect user data.
