Over 50 Chinese apps have reportedly been banned in India as they pose a threat to the security of the country. The list seemingly includes Free Fire.
As seen in the tweet above, 50 more apps have reportedly been banned by the government of India. The new ban includes apps that were banned earlier but resurfaced as clones. ET Now has not provided the complete list of banned apps in India.
The list of over 50 banned apps in India seemingly also includes Garena Free Fire as the game has been pulled from Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Chinese company Tencent owns a significant chunk of Free Fire's parent company, which could be a reason behind the ban. However, it isn't clear if Free Fire has been removed due to the government's ban or due to some other reason entirely.
According to ANI, 54 Chinese apps in total have been banned in India. The list includes Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD, Beauty Camera - Selfie Camera, Equalizer & Bass Booster, CamCard for SalesForce Ent, Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite, Viva Video Editor, Tencent Xriver, Onmyoji Chess, Onmyoji Arena, AppLock, Dual Space Lite. Sources told ANI that these apps "pose a threat to India's security."
Previously, the government of India banned popular apps like TikTok and PUBG Mobile in the country. PUBG Mobile has resurfaced as BGMI and TikTok is also rumoured to make its comeback soon in the country. That being said, it will be interested to see which all apps the government has banned this time around, in addition to Garena Free Fire, of course.