This story is being continuously updated…. New updates are being added at the bottom….. Original story (published on September 2) follows:
The Indian government has just banned a total of 118 apps, according to fresh reports just coming in. The decision by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology comes amid ongoing tension between India and China.
The newly banned apps join the other 59 that got the chop back in June, among them the popular TikTok , UC Browser and even WeChat, just to name but a few.
PUBG is perhaps the most high profile app that has fallen victim of the tensions in eastern Ladakh. Others on the list include Baidu, Alipay, Youku, CamCard, Cut Cut, VooV, Tencent Weiyun, Rise of Kingdoms, Zakzak, and so on.
The images below have a list of all the banned apps (118 in total). Be sure to click/tap on the image to view it.
Device makers such as Xiaomi and Realme have also had to make changes to their software to accommodate this ban. And from the look of things, more app developers may be forced to make drastic changes to their code in order to survive the ban.
Below is the full statement released by the Indian government regarding the ban of PUBG Mobile and other apps in the country: Source (Clip/tap to view)
According to the document above, the ban on PUBG Mobile and other apps in India is primarily because of security concerns. Apparently, these apps are malicious in that they transmit sensitive user data to servers located outside India.
Since the government sees this as a national security concern, the apps in question have been banned from both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The ban also extends to non-mobile usage of the apps in question.
It remains unclear if the government will ease its stance against the affected Chinese apps. As usual, though, we will keep an eye on this and let you know in the event of any changes. Update 1 (September 08)
IST 01:00 pm: PUBG Coropration has officially responded to PUBG Mobile’s ban in India. In the response, PUBG Corp. has stated that it will no longer authorize the PUBG MOBILE franchise to Tencent Games in India. Therefore, the South Korean company will be solely responsible for publishing the game in India.
PUBG Corp. is willing to work with the Government of India to get the game unbanned and it states that it will be fully compliant with Indian laws and regulations. Update 2 (November 12)
IST 03:10 pm: PUBG Corporation has reportedly announced that it will be making its way back to India in a new avatar. The company has, however, not yet shared a specific launch date for the “new game” which has been specifically created for India.
Apparently, it will be investing around $100 million in the country in order to give a boost to the esports community as well as local video game, entertainment, and IT industries ecosystems.
The company also made the following statement:
Privacy and security of Indian player data being a top priority for PUBG Corporation, the company will conduct regular audits and verifications on the storage systems holding Indian users’ personally identifiable information to reinforce security and ensure that their data is safely managed. Update 3 (January 25)
IST 02:32 pm: As per a new development , the Indian government has decided to continue the PUBG ban along with the rest of the Chinese apps and isn’t planning on a reversal any time soon. Update 4 (May 06)
IST 04:30 pm: PUBG Mobile is coming back to India as Battlegrounds Mobile India according to a an announcement from the company. Pre-registrations for the game are set to begin soon. Update 5 (May 14)
IST 05:10 pm: Krafton has confirmed that pre-registrations from Battlegrounds Mobile India will begin on May 18 on the Google Play Store. Those who pre-register for the game will get a chance to claim specific rewards once the game goes live.
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This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.