Indian intelligence agencies say the list of apps that includes TikTok and Zoom should be banned because it represents a national security threat
Indian intelligence agencies recently asked the government to block (or at least advise users to stop using) a list of more than 50 mobile applications, most of them directly linked to concerns about the Chinese government. The reasons are that these services are not considered secure and are extracting a massive amount of data out of India.
The list of apps that pose a security threat includes the TikTok short video app and other Chinese utility and content apps, such as UC browser, Xender, SHAREit and Clean-master. Another app on the list, despite not being Chinese, is the Zoom videoconferencing application.
Without TikTok, Zoom and other apps in India
A senior Indian government official said the recommendation from the country's intelligence agencies was recently supported by Secretariat of the National Security Council, which considered that these applications could be harmful to India's security. On June 17, the Prime Minister's government Narendra Modi blocked or issued warnings against the use of mobile applications, largely linked to China. Agencies are concerned that these applications are extracting large amounts of data from Indian users and are not safe.
Although there is still no official word on how the government will act in this regard, the decision can be complicated, as the list includes some applications that are extremely popular and frequently used in India, such as TikTok, Zoom, SHAREit, Bigo Live, Club Factory, Shein. In addition, many of these applications are the main contributors to India's virtual economy.
This decision comes at a time when the tension at the borders between the two countries is already very complicated, which led to the Chinese smartphone brand Oppo to cancel the launch of a model due to pressures for a boycott of Chinese products. In the following, we will explore each category of applications that the Indian government intends to ban use in the country.
Social media
Most of the video sharing applications used by Indians are of Chinese origin. The best example of this TikTok, which already has more than 120 million monthly active users in India. Other popular Chinese video sharing apps include Hello, which has more than 50 million users in India, and the Bigo Live, with more than 22 million users in the country.
Not only in India, but TikTok is one of the most popular Chinese apps in the world todayThe big problem that is so popular has also made these apps the center of criticism and skepticism of the authorities and the general public. So it's not surprising that a number of video sharing apps have made the list that Indian intelligence agencies consider high-risk programs.
The list of applications in this category includes: TikTok, Zoom, Vigo Video, Bigo Live, Weibo, WeChat, Helo, LIKE
E-commerce
India has more than 500 million Internet users, but, ironically, its e-commerce industry still accounts for only about 3% of the country's overall retail. In this way, the main American retail companies, Amazon and Walmart, made major investments in the Indian e-commerce sector. Although in a smaller quantity, Chinese e-commerce apps are also trying to conquer the Indian market.
ClubFactory is a popular shopping app that has joined the list of services that can be banned in IndiaThe list of applications in this category includes: ClubFactory, ROMWE, SHEIN
Beauty Apps
As in many other places in the world, India is obsessed with selfies and the country has been a breeding ground for photo enhancement applications. In 2016, India became the second largest market after China for the Meitu, maker of two of the most popular selfie enhancement apps, BeautyPlus and MakeupPlus. The company launched an application, BeautyPlus Me, designed specifically for Indian users.
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