PUBG Mobile banned in India along with 117 other apps

Amid the ongoing tension between India and China, after the recent Chinese provocation in Ladakh, PUBG Mobile along with 117 other apps has been banned in India by the government. Some of the other banned apps are CamCard, Rise of Kingdoms, Baidu, Cut Cut, VooV, Zakzak, Tencent Weiyun.

Breaking News: 118 more Chinese mobile Apps banned including PUBG by the IT Ministry

— Akhilesh Sharma (@akhileshsharma1) September 2, 2020

‘Akhilesh Sharma’ the editor at NDTV India also tweeted out about the ban.

The goverment said that the move was in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security.

According to the Ministry of Electronics, PUBG Mobile has been banned under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

“they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order” said the Ministry.

The reason cited in a press notification for the ban was, The Ministry had received 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 Cyber Crime centre of The Home Ministry also recommended blocking these “malicious apps”.

The #PUBG has been trending on Twitter right since the news of the ban broke out.

TSM and Fnatic both have Indian PUBG Mobile esports teams. this will be a huge blow to not just all Indian gamers but the emerging pro scene as well

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) September 2, 2020

Some people are praising the government for the decision while most are expressing their discontent on the ban.

Abhijeet “Ghatak” Andhare, a professional PUBG Mobile player for team TSM Entity expressed his discontent on the ban via Twitter.

Few days ago government spoke about creating more jobs in the gaming sector and now they’ve banned an app that gave countless jobs to aspiring gamers in this country. PuBg created hope for a millions of kids around the country @PMOIndia @narendramodi @KirenRijiju

— Abhijeet Andhare (@TSMentGHATAK) September 2, 2020

Rahul Puri, The Co-Founder of The Gaming Reporter also commented on the topic via Twitter

Akshat Rathee, The Co-Founder of NODWIN Gaming, expressed his views on the ban saying, “I believe that a lot of gamers in India will be crestfallen because of this.”

He further said, “PUBG Mobile has very clear privacy and data storage policies that store data in India. As an Indian Company, we support the nation in every way and would look forward to a quick resolution of this“.

“A great time for games like Garena Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile & Fortnite to really grow in India. Even if PUBG Mobile has been banned, gamers shall continue to play other mobile games and keep them engaged & entertained.” said Ashwin Haryani, Co-Founder, GamingMonk

He further added “This also gives a great opportunity for Indian Game Developers to build Esports Games and build a community around them.”

“This is a great opportunity for India Video Game developers to build innovative online multiplayer games. While the stress is to become “Attmnirbhar” I believe this is a great opportunity for the government and the Ministry of Sports to also recognise Esports as a medal-winning and professional sporting opportunity.  The gaming community which is more fragmented can benefit in much more constructive ways if government recognition to the sport is given” – Lokesh Suji Director ESFI | VP-Asian Esports Federation

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This ban will definitely affect the esports ecosystem in India. All eyes are on the reaction of esports organizations and esports tournament organizers that are related to PUBG Mobile Esports scene.