India Bans Over 100 Apps Linked to China

The Indian government has banned over 100 apps linked to China as tensions continue to escalate between the two countries.

Among the apps affected are several of Tencent’s products which includes hit video game

PUBG Mobile and WeChat Work.

The Indian government had previously banned 59 of China’s popular apps including TikTok over growing national security concerns.

India’s IT Ministry said it had “credible information” the latest batch were acting against India’s interests.

Other apps affected include:

• two of search giant Baidu’s apps
• CamCard’s business card scanner
• Alibaba’s Alipay payment app and its Taobao e-commerce platform
• Netease games including Marvel Super War
• Sina News

According to BBC, the ministry said it had received many complaints from “various sources” including several reports about “misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India”.

“The compilation of this 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 ban comes as tensions continue to grow between the countries over a disputed Himalayan border. Both India and China deployed more troops to the Ladakh region in June and clashes have left at least 20 Indian troops dead.

Satellite images appear to show that China has built new structures overlooking the Himalayan border region.