Indian Government to ban Garena Free Fire and 53 other Chinese apps that pose a threat to India's security

Garena Free Fire and 53 other Chinese apps banned in India

As per the latest report from The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), The government has issued an order imposing a ban on 54 Chinese apps. The apps are a threat to the privacy and security of Indians. The 54 Chinese apps which include the most popular Garena Free Fire, 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, and Dual Space Lite among others.

Though this is not the first time that the Indian government is banning Chinese apps on grounds of security. In June 2021, India had banned 59 Chinese apps that included major social media apps like TikTok, WeChat, and Helo.

The ban was imposed citing that the majority of apps were red-flagged by security agencies for collecting user data and allegedly sending it out of the country. 

The previous app ban had taken place after 20 of the Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers were martyred in violent clashes in Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Later in September 2021, the Indian government had banned 118 more Chinese apps citing a threat to the sovereignty of the country. The government had stated that these apps were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the state and public order.”

China has opposed the bans citing it as a violation of the World Trade Organization’s non-discriminatory principles.

Full List of list of 54 blocked Chinese apps in India

The full list of 54 blocked Chinese apps in India is provided below:

1. AppLock
2. Astracraft
3. Badlanders
4. Barcode Scanner – QR Code Scan
5. Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera
6. Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD
7. CamCard for SalesForce Ent
8. Conquer Online – MMORPG Game
9. Conquer Online Il
10. CuteU Pro
11. CuteU: Match With The World
12. Dual Space – 32Bit Support
13. Dual Space – 64Bit Support
14. Dual Space Lite – Multiple Accounts & Clone App
15. Dual Space Pro – 32Bit Support
16. Dual Space Pro – Multiple Accounts & App Cloner
17. DualSpace Lite – 32Bit Support
18. Equalizer – Bass Booster & Volume EQ & Virtualizer
19. Equalizer & Bass Booster – Music Volume EQ
20. Equalizer Pro – Volume Booster & Bass Booster
21. EVE Echoes
22. Extraordinary Ones
23. FancvU – Video Chat & Meetup
24. FancyU pro – Instant Meetup through Video chat!
25. FunChat Meet People Around You
26. Garena Free Fire – Illuminate
27. Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite
28. Lica Cam – selfie camera app
29. Live Weather & Radar – Alerts
30. MoonChat: Enjoy Video Chats
31. MP3 Cutter – Ringtone Maker & Audio Cutter
32. Music Player – Equalizer & MP3
33. Music Player – MP3 Player
34. Music Player- Music.Mp3 Player
35. Music Plus – MP3 Player
36. Nice video baidu
37. Notes- Color Notepad, Notebook
38. Onmyoji Arena
39. Onmyoji Chess
40. Parallel Space Lite 32 Support
41. Real Lite -video to live!
42. Real: Go Live. Make Friends
43. Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade IS/APUS Security HD (Pad Version)
44. Small World-Enjoy groupchat and video chat
45. Stick Fight: The Game Mobile
46. Tencent Xriver
47. Twilight Pioneers
48. UU Game Booster-network solution for high ping
49. Video Player Media All Format
50. Viva Video Editor – Snack Video Maker with Music
51. Voice Recorder & Voice Changer
52. Volume Booster – Loud Speaker & Sound Booster
53. Wink: Connect Now