The Indian government recently banned 59 Chinese applications. These 59 Chinese apps reportedly compromised the safety and security of user data and privacy of Indians. The move has made Indian fans skeptical, as a large number of Indian fansplay PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile.
PUBG Mobile is developed and managed by PUBG Corporation, which is a subsidiary of the South Korean gaming company Bluehole. After its initial success, Chinese giant Tencent joined hands with Bluehole to distribute the game in China. Subsequently, Tencent brought the game to India.
Call of Duty Mobile, which is popularly known as CoD Mobile, on the other hand, is published by TiMi Studios, which is a subsidiary of Tencent Games. The app, however, is published on Android and iOS by Activision, which is a subsidiary of the Santa Monica, California based company called Activision Blizzard.
The Ministry of Information Technology invoked its power under “section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009”. The government then decided to ban 59 Chinese apps which posed as a threat to India’s data security breach. The move is aimed at safeguarding the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users as mentioned by the Ministry of Electronics & IT said in its official statement.
While one cannot dismiss the game’s Chinese links, its mixed ownership could have played a role in the government’s decisionto not omit COD from its list of banned apps.