India bans 43 apps as a wave of web sanctions against China

International

25-11-2020, 16:43

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INA – Baghdad

India banned 43 mobile applications on Tuesday including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s e-commerce app Aliexpress in a new wave of web sanctions targeted at China with whom it has engaged in a months-long standoff at a Himalayan border site.

The 43 mostly Chinese-origin apps, which also include a few dating apps, threaten the “sovereignty and integrity of India”, the federal technology ministry said in a statement.

India has previously banned more than 170 apps saying they collect and share users’ data, which could pose a threat to the state.

The move, which India’s technology minister has referred to as a “digital strike”, was initiated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a skirmish with Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border site in June.