The government has clarified that the order to remove Chinese apps is fake and no such instructions have been given to Google or Apple.
A message has been circulating on social media claiming that the National Informatics Centre under the Ministry of Electronics and IT has issued an order instructing the restriction of certain Chinese apps on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The government has clarified that the order is fake and no such instructions have been given to Google or Apple.
The message says that the government of India has directed the regional executive and representatives of Google and Apple to “restrict the functioning of Chinese applications from the respective stores with immediate effect”. These apps include TikTok, VMate, Vigo Video, LiveMe, Bigo Live, Beauty Plus, CamScanner, Club Factory, Shein, Romwe, and AppLock.
The list also includes games like Mobile Legends, Clash of Kings, and Gale of Sultans. The message says that these apps are alleged to hold the privacy of the user at risk, and could compromise the sovereignty of the country.
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The official twitter handle of PIB Fact Check refuted the claim and confirmed that the order is fake and no such instruction has been given by the Ministry of Electronics and IT or the National Informatics Centre.
The fake order comes amidst the escalating tensions at the LAC in Ladakh between India and China and social media furore over the ban of Chinese apps and products. Earlier, educator and innovator Sonam Wangchuk had urged the countrymen to snub products made in China and uninstall Chinese apps. Wangchuk claimed that China is intentionally provoking border disputes not just with India but with many other neighbouring countries in the region to suppress its own domestic tensions.
