When it comes to territorial conflicts, Indian-Chinese ties have traditionally made headlines. Chinese troops entered Indian territory unlawfully and attempted to seize the disputed area, which is now under Indian control and has led to a confrontation between the two countries' armed forces in the Indo-China border region of Galwan Valley. Several soldiers from both sides were killed in this situation.

India bans Chinese Apps

In 2020, India took significant action against Chinese applications due to the National Security thread. In the first round, the Indian government issued an interim ruling banning 59 Chinese applications. Apps like UC Browser, SHARE-IT, and others are included in this category. From July 2020 onwards, a second round of 47 apps will be unable to operate in India.

In addition to 118 Chinese mobile apps, the Center also issued a ban on PUB-G, a prominent gaming platform, and BAIDU, China's largest search engine provider. Almost all of these apps originate in China or have a large portion of their funding coming from Chinese companies.

A press release issued by India's executive agency, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, warned that Chinese apps violate Indian law's Section 69A and pose a major threat to the country's national security and privacy. According to the regulator, these apps are exporting user data illegally and unauthorised outside of India.

For the Indian Government and its citizens, this raises severe concerns about the privacy issue. Numerous complaints about the exploitation of certain mobile applications to steal and transfer private data to servers located outside India were received by the agency regarding the same issue from a variety of sources.

As per Indian law, does India have the authority to prohibit these Chinese applications?

The Central Government or any officers specially authorised by it to issue directions for blocking public access to any information via computer resources, in the interest of India's sovereignty and integrity, defence, security, friendly relations with foreign states, or public order, Section 69-A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 gives the power to the Central Government or any of its officers in this regard.

How was the ban ensured by the Government?

All internet service providers in India have received a directive from the government to block all of these censored applications from their servers. Even yet, the pre-installed programmes on mobile phones may continue to function. However, since the latest versions of the apps have been withdrawn from Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store, users will no longer be able to utilise the updated versions.

As a result, users may encounter an error message saying that the Indian government has requested that the apps be banned. No virtual private network or other modern technology will be able to access these applications in India in the future

What are the consequences of India on wide ban of Chinese Applications?

Protecting one's personal information and securing one's data
For reasons of national security, the Indian government has prohibited the use of Chinese-developed apps within the country. Apps that give third-party access to personal information, such as messages, phone calls and location data as well as photographs and even bank account information are to blame for this. Since India's cyber security is at risk, the ban will also make individuals recognise their responsibilities and allegiance to the country.

Reduced Reliance on Digital Media:

After China's user base was depleted, Indian start-ups and established local enterprises will be able to gain a user base in India. As a result, more Indian apps will be downloaded, which will help support the efforts of our Prime Minister to speak up for the people of India. As a result, the country will become more self-sufficient in the digital world.

A drive to develop software using only locally available resources:
People have already started utilising Indian equivalents for the restricted apps and appear to be satisfied with the performance. In doing so, it stimulates the development of more Indian-made apps and the recognition of such an effort by the country's developers.

It has a significant impact on GDP

Investors have long found India to be an appealing market. Investments in India's Local Technology Industry are being sought by the Indian government following a recent ban on Chinese apps. The GDP is also predicted to benefit from this banishment, which is expected to increase domestic production and digital innovation.

What are the China's response to banning?

If this step is not reversed, China has warned to take the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It further asserted that India has broken WTO standards by making such a decision, which violates fair trade practises. China's embassy spokesperson JiRong stated in a statement that this is a clear example of India's bigotry.

China's hopes of becoming a tech powerhouse have been shattered by the ban of these popular apps in India, which will have a significant impact on China's ability to do so. Even if China goes to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for comfort, there is little hope of relief because of these three key reasons why the WTO stands behind India's decision:

An agreement between India and China on mobile applications did not exist before to this time. Because the Indian market is open to all international traders, Chinese enterprises were able to develop a network in India without signing a contract. China took advantage of this golden opportunity and launched applications in India in order to gain a large share of such a market. These applications promoted their product and services through advertising. As a result of these apps, China has become a household name in the world of business and finance.

If a corporation is becoming a threat to a country's sovereignty and national security, the country can take action under WTO rules. In addition, make sure that the company is not allowed to operate in its territory from any source. When the Indian government referred to the IT Act, of 2000, it was doing exactly the same thing.

When it comes to illegal and unfair commercial practises, India has the right to bring a counter action against China in the World Trade Organization (WTO). In order to circumvent India's preferential trade accords, China found a way to sell its goods through third nations like Singapore or Hong Kong. Chinese products were offered at lower rates in India because of this act, allowing China to avoid paying higher tariffs. As a result, Indian firms suffered harm as a result of this unfair trade practise.

The Great Firewall of China

Legislative and technological measures of the People's Republic of China to control the internet within its borders. Due to numerous purported reasons, it has severely restricted international enterprises from accessing its market and slowed foreign traffic by restricting traffic from excessive foreign sources and disabling internet information tools. China devised a strategy to restrict even tech giants and news websites in order to develop its global market and become the only Tech Giant.

Conclusions
In this way, India acknowledged the need of protecting its citizens' personal information. Various privacy and security concerns have been raised as a result of this ban on Chinese apps. In order to protect the integrity of the country, India will take whatever steps are necessary, regardless of the country's external ties, to ensure that no compromises are made when it comes to national security.

It is imperative that the country's security is prioritised above anything else. By becoming more self-aware and self-reliant as a result of all of these measures, we can have hope for a brighter future for our country.