PUBG MOBILE is among 118 more Chinese apps blocked by the government amid fresh tension over Chinese provocation in Ladakh. The move was in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security, the government said in a statement.
There are close to 33 million active PUBG players in India, according to reports.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the mobile game has been banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that "they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".
"This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," the statement said.
This move, it said, would safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. "
The ministry said it had received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.
The home ministry's cybercrime centre also recommended blocking these "malicious apps", the government said.
The statement referred to bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives in parliament and outside. It said there had been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against Apps "that harm India's sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens".
