New Delhi (India), Feb. 5, 2023: The Indian government has blocked 138 betting apps and 94 loan apps with links to China on an urgent basis.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) made the decision based on recommendations from the Union Home Ministry after confirming that the 138 betting apps contained content prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
This is the fourth time that India has imposed a ban on Chinese-origin apps, with the total number of banned apps now reaching 267.
Last year, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology banned 54 Chinese apps that posed a threat to India’s security, including Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, and Dual Space Lite.
The government had claimed that these apps were collecting sensitive user data and sending it to servers in a hostile country. In total, India has banned 59 apps in June 2020, 118 apps in September 2020, and another 43 apps in November 2020.
The latest ban comes amid increased tensions between India and China following a border stand-off in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control.
