Monday, February 6, 2023

India Gears Up To Block 232 Betting And Loan Apps Including Those With Chinese Links

India is making a bold decision to block more than 230 apps including some having great links with its neighboring country China.

The country says those apps would be included that offer betting as well as loan services to the South Asian market. This would prevent misuse of users’ data, as confirmed by the country’s leading public broadcaster, who outlined the report on Sunday.

The country is taking the decision very seriously and has even set about calling it an emergency ban that needs to be enforced as soon as possible on 138 betting apps related to the world of gambling. Meanwhile, another 94 were linked to providing unauthorized sources for loans.

The country’s Electronics and IT industry say this move would be in the nation’s best interest. And it was being carried out on the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Meanwhile, such apps are designed to mislead customers into taking on huge loans, forcing them to run into debt without even coming to the realization of the terms of the agreement.

Similarly, some concerns are linked to them serving as espionage tools and those linked to the likes of propaganda.

This recent decision that was announced on Sunday is one of the latest done to ensure the Government is cracking down on apps and services that serve as major threats to the country’s citizens.

Then we saw the likes of the Reserve Bank of India setting out stricter rules in terms of allowing digital loans. This crackdown against those not following rules was started last year as more and more companies were urged to adopt a policy of transparency as well as control for customers.

As per new rules, the lenders are not allowed to further extend the credit limits of clients without getting their consent and at the same time, they can’t disclose details linked to rates for annual loans in exact terms.

Furthermore, all apps linked to digital loans must take prior consent from clients before they make attempts to collect data and any requests of this sort should be based on their needs.

Today, India has blocked more than 300 different apps that have ties with China. And it’s a decision taken in the country’s best interest for integrity and sovereignty. As it is, authorities in India banned several top Chinese apps last year including the likes of TikTok, Alibaba’s UC Browser, and the Community Call apps by Xiaomi. This decision was taken amid a rise in tensions between both southeast Asian nations.

For now, the capital New Delhi is yet to mention that it is taking decisions on platforms from any other particular country.

But India’s decision was recently praised by many including Republicans when they saw the country go ahead and ban TikTok. Moreover, they called decision one as being a very important precedent.
Many American lawmakers have been calling TikTok out for months. They feel it functions as a leading surveillance tool that behaves in a sophisticated manner to grab a hold of users’ data. And if a nation wants to ensure its communication network is safe and sound, banning the app might be the right step forward.

There are many reports from experts that speak about how worries are increasing about China making use of citizens’ sensitive data for their own benefit as well as for the sake of espionage, surveillance, blackmailing, and others.

Therefore, several Americans do hope to follow in India’s footsteps to curb such threats before it gets too late. Moreover, they also hope to filter out other similar apps that function in similar behavior.


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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

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