PUBG Mobile has been banned under the section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on the grounds saying that “they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

The most popular battle royale game in India has gone under the fire Indian Government going on spree of banning Chinese apps. This block was amid the latest tension over Chinese provocation in Ladakh.

“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,” said a statement from the ministry.

The statement said that it received many complaints from various sources, including reports about misuse of some Chinese apps available on mobile platforms. The reports suggest that the apps are stealing and transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers located outside India.

According to reports, India has 33 million active players. The home ministry’s cybercrime centre also recommended blocking these “malicious apps”, the government said.

“Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India. There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against Apps that harm India’s sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens,” it added.

“On the basis of these and upon receiving of recent credible inputs that information posted, permissions sought, functionality embedded as well as data harvesting practices of above stated Apps raise serious concerns that these apps collect and share data in surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to security of the state,” it said.

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