The central government is once again set to ban more than a hundred apps on national security grounds. National media reported that the central government has ordered the removal of 119 mobile apps related to China and Hong Kong from the Google Play Store. Most of the banned apps are video and voice chat platforms. The center took action under Section 69A of the IT Act. In addition to Chinese apps, some apps from Singapore, the US, the UK and Australia have also been banned.
In 2020, the central government had banned several apps, including the most popular social media app in the country, TikTok, and the file sharing app Share It. On June 20, 2020, the Indian government banned about 100 Chinese apps.
Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the central government to regulate online content for national security and public order. Reports also indicate that only 15 apps have been removed from the Google Play Store so far despite the ban. Chill Chat, an app developed by the Singapore-based Mangostar team, is the most prominent of the banned apps. The app has over one million downloads and a 4.1-star rating on the Google Play Store. A Chill Chat spokesperson said that they had received a warning from Google regarding the blocking. Among those banned are the Chinese app ChangApp and Honeycomb, developed by an Australian company.
