India banned 43 Chinese mobile applications on Tuesday including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s e-commerce app Aliexpress in a new wave of web sanctions targeted at China with whom it has engaged in a months-long standoff at a Himalayan border site.
The 43 mostly Chinese-origin apps, which also include a few dating apps, threaten the “sovereignty and integrity of India”, the federal technology ministry said in a statement.
India’s Ban on Chinese Apps: the Full Timeline
India’s ban on Chinese applications seems unstoppable this year.
As early as June 29 this year, the Ministry of Information Technology of India issued a notice to block 59 Chinese mobile applications in India based on relevant laws and regulations concerning Indian sovereignty and integrity.
All the banned Chinese apps are correlated with all fields including entertainment such as TikTok, Kwai, Clash of Kings, etc., social media and communication such as WeChat, Helo, Likee, etc., and practical tools benefiting everyone like Shareit, CamScanner, Baidu map, etc.
That was followed by another ban on 47 apps in July that comprised applications such as CamScanner, SHAREit, and UC Browser, among others. During that time, 89 Apps were required to be deleted from Army Personnel’s phones.
Next came the most notable raid on 118 Chinese apps in September, which included highly popular apps such as PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite.
The final ban indicates this wave of 43 Chinese applications ban. Up to now, 267 Chinese apps have been blocked by the Indian government. No matter how many applications are blocked in India, the biggest concern derives from the risk to India’s integrity and internal security.
Application Ban Should NOT Equal Banning Your Business and Life!
This bunch of banned applications mostly derive from Alibaba group, including AliSuppliers Mobile App, Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress – Smarter Shopping, Better Living, Alipay Cashier, Taobao Live, and DingTalk. All the applications are closely related to business and if they stop working, the business contact will be broken.
Moreover, other applications concerning dating and entertainment are also must-have apps for Indians. Once they get cut, an Indian’s normal life will be badly affected as well.
The overall banned 267 Chinese applications have provided fast and efficient services for Indian customers, creators, and entrepreneurs. However, it’s only those who have benefits or are benefiting from the applications who will know how much the ban weighs to them.
Take TikTok for example. The significance of TikTok for common people as entertainment dramatically differs from that for stars or influencers. Based on India Today, Indians spent 5.5 billion hours in 2019 alone, topping the application list. According to Forbes, the number of TikTok users in India alone was estimated to be up to 119 million out of 800 million users worldwide. That means quite a large number of people in India earn their living through being influencers. Here’s the question, as TikTok gets banned, how will they solve their financial issues? Worth thinking.
In the case of WeChat lies the correlation between businesspeople and their customer potential in China. Because WeChat is the most widely used communication tool in China, if WeChat gets banned in India, Indian businesspeople will lose a lot of opportunities to boost their business. As far as the entrepreneurs whose leading business is in China, they will suffer from more.
The thing isn’t that simple at all. Stopping using an app on your smartphone is much more complicated than throwing a phone.
Can I Continue Using the Banned Apps in India? Absolutely Yes!
Even though the 267 Chinese applications will gradually stop working automatically or be forced to stop working, there are some ways for you to continue using them.
Use a VPN to continue using the banned apps in India.
VPN Hides Your IP Address
Your IP address plays a role as your unique identification, indicating everything surrounding you, including your geological location, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your visiting websites, and all your online activities. Each of your clicks contributes to your sketch. Who are you? What are you interested in the most? Where do you live? What type of TV shows do you like best? The topics can’t come to an end as long as you use the Internet.
In general, you’re accessible based on your IP address that is distributed by your ISP. As soon as your IP address gets exposed, everything about you can be known as well. A VPN, however, hides your IP address as you connect with a server that is located in other locations so that the real “you” will be well protected from being monitored or tracked.
VPN Breaks Any Local Restrictions
Another role a VPN plays is to break local restrictions and to unblock restricted networks and content. All the content on the Internet isn’t equally shared by the world. When some websites or networks are forbidden, a VPN can help. With a VPN connection with another local server, you can bypass the restrictions to reach the content that is forbidden in your real locations. For example, you can bypass local restrictions to beat the Netflix ban or play online games. Another case to use VPN to unblock restricted online content is to go through social media no matter where you are.
VPN Protects Your Online Security and Privacy
A VPN builds an end-to-end encryption tunnel from your device to the server so that all the information transmitted between your device and server is well protected. Therefore, a VPN helps you to stop being monitored or tracked by ISP or hackers who perhaps steal your information for benefit. Not all networks are secure enough. Your data is the least safe when you get to the Internet through public WiFi and a VPN is a simple way to cure it.
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