MeitY Blocks 348 Apps for Transmitting Users’ Information in Unauthorised Manner

The Home Ministry identified these apps, which are developed by various countries, including China.

By Press Trust of India | Updated: 3 August 2022 17:30 IST

There was no mention of the time period when these 348 apps were blocked

Highlights

There was no mention of the time period
BGMI was removed from Google Play Store
BGMI will be back in India soon

The government has blocked 348 mobile applications that were identified by the Home Ministry for transmitting users' information in an unauthorised manner to servers located outside the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha said the apps are developed by various countries, including China.

"Based on the request from MHA, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked those 348 mobile applications since such data transmissions infringes the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security of the State," he said.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

There was no mention of the time period when these 348 apps were blocked by the Meity.

Last month, the Battlegrounds Mobile India, or BGMI, was removed from Google Play Store as well as App Store over government's order. The removal happened without warning. However, Google confirmed that it received a government order directing it to delist the popular online game.

It was later reported that BGMI from the South Korean game development firm Krafton was removed from app stores as there were concerns about its data sharing and mining in China, an Indian government source told Reuters. Section 69A of India's IT Act allows the government to block public access to content in the interest of national security, among other reasons.

BGMI Said to Be Blocked in India Over Data Sharing Concerns in China

However, the Skyesports CEO and Founder Shiva Nandy has recently mentioned via Instagram that the ban is temporary. The game will be back in India soon.

Is Pixel 6a the best camera phone under Rs. 50,000? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.