PUBG Banned Along With Other 117 Mobile Applications In India
A total of 118 mobile applications have been banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology according to an official statement.
On Wednesday (2nd September 2020) India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology banned more than 100 mobile application including the hugely popular gamming application Players Unknown Battle Ground, PUBG. Earlier 59 Chinese apps were banned citing concerns of data security after fresh tension in the border area between India and China.
A total of 118 mobile applications have been banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology according to an official statement. The banned application included WeChat, FaceU, Tencent Watchlist, PUBG Mobile and PUBG Moblie Lite and other Apps blocked include games, online payment services, dating sites and even software to edit selfies. According to some reports there are 33 million active PUBG players in India, making it one of the most popular application downloaded in the country. PUBG reportedly clocks 13 million users per day.
The move comes a day after the government accused Chinese troops of provocative action again in the South Bank of Pangong Lake. Similar attempt was made on August 31st by the Chinese troops but Indian soldiers were able to prevent them both times. The government explains that it is in the interest of India’s sovereignty and integrity, defence and security, the government said in a statement.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the mobile game has been banned along with the other Apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that "they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order", further adding the statement said "This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace."
Explaining its latest move, the ministry said it had received many complaints about the misuse of some mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data to servers outside India.
The Ministry also stated in the statement "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."
Unlike other application PUBG is not entirely Chinese. The game was first developed by Bluehole, a South Korean video game company. After the Game started gaining popularity Tencent, Chinese company joined Bluehole to handle distribution and market. PUBG in India is distributed by Tencent Holdings
Tencent Holdings Ltd's videogame PUBG Mobile ranks among the world's top five smartphone games with over 734 million downloads. There are close to 50 million active PUBG players in India, according to reports. The game clocks in some 13 million daily users. The PUBG Mobile India series for 2020 had a total prize pool of more than 50 lakh with the player base and international investment and it was yet to grow more.
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