India looks to expand scope of Chinese app ban

A full list has yet to be released, so it is unclear how many venture capital-backed companies were involved. However, numerous Indian competitors - including those with financial sponsors - are likely to benefit as consumers switch to local alternatives.

According to The Economic Times, India’s Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY) said the 47 apps were banned at the end of last week. The move appears to target apps offering similar services to the 59 instructed to halt operations last month. Those included video-based social media platforms TikTok and Bigo Live, web browser UC Browser, mobile gaming app Clash of Kings, and e-commerce platform Club Factory.

The new list is said to include copycat apps like TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, Shareit Lite, and Bigo Live Lite. 

The Economic Times further reported that a list of 275 additional apps with links to Chinese entities has been drawn up. These could face further scrutiny. Among them are Tencent Holdings-owned PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, AliExpress and TikTok affiliate Ulike. Apps that come pre-installed on smart phones manufactured by Chinese companies are also being considered. 

Unnamed government officials cited by Indian media said the targeted apps have raised concerns related to privacy, censorship, and national security. A former employee of UC Web, which owns UC Browser, told a district court that the app had displayed fake news and asked moderators to censor keywords in Hindi and English that could have stoked anti-Chinese sentiment.

MeiTY has also sent a questionnaire to various Chinese companies that operate internet apps in the country, Reuters reported. The 77-question document seeks to uncover content moderation policies that may have been put in place internally to censure information such as that relating to India-Pakistan geopolitical tensions.

These developments come after a high-altitude clash in a disputed region along the India-China border led to the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers last month. China’s military has not commented or disclosed Chinese casualties from the incident. Three rounds of discussions have taken place between government officials from both sides, but they have failed to reach an agreement over the proper demarcation of the border.

In April, Indian regulators increased bureaucratic hurdles for foreign investments with links to China. While the exact scope of the ruling is unclear, the reference to "beneficial owners" suggests that offshore funds in which Chinese groups participate as LPs could be targeted as well as direct investors from the country.

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• Topics
• South Asia
• Regulation
• India
• China