In yet another stunning move, Narendra Modi Government has axed 43 Chinese apps including AliExpress, Lalamove, Snack Video among others. No doubt, AliExpress was one of the favorite destinations among tech-savvy people in India. If you had shopped with AliExpress before, you would have heard about 75 cents initial offer including mobile cables for less than $1. You can’t experience these kinds of offers anymore because the Government of India has banned 43 Chinese apps including the highly popular AliExpress. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has issued a circular that bans 43 Chinese apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
The official circular states that the action has been taken based on the inputs regarding these apps. Moreover, the companies which developed the apps have engaged in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India including defence of India, security of the state, and public order. The 43 Chinese apps ban was issued based on the detailed reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Affairs.
In addition to AliExpress, the Modi Government also banned Lalamove India and Snack Video among others. Lalamove has established offices across India and has been employing people. It remains to be seen as to what will happen to the employees if the company gets shuts down. It’s not a good sign to close down apps that have offices in India especially when the whole economy is under distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the ban of AliExpress, the Government has banned all the properties of Alibaba Group. In the past, MEITY has initiated UCWeb ban, which was a popular news platform.
The complete list of all the 43 Chinese apps that are banned on November 24 are listed below
AliSuppliers Mobile App
Alibaba Workbench
AliExpress – Smarter Shopping, Better Living
Alipay Cashier
Lalamove India – Delivery App
Drive with Lalamove India
Snack Video
CamCard – Business Card Reader
CamCard – BCR (Western)
Soul – Follow the soul to find you
Chinese Social – Free Online Dating Video App & Chat
Date in Asia – Dating & Chat For Asian Singles
WeDate-Dating App
Free dating app-Singol, start your date!
Adore App
TrulyChinese – Chinese Dating App
TrulyAsian – Asian Dating App
ChinaLove: dating app for Chinese singles
DateMyAge: Chat, Meet, Date Mature Singles Online
AsianDate: find Asian singles
FlirtWish: chat with singles
Guys Only Dating: Gay Chat
Tubit: Live Streams
WeWorkChina
First Love Live – super hot live beauties live online
Rela – Lesbian Social Network
Cashier Wallet
MangoTV
MGTV-HunanTV official TV APP
WeTV – TV version
WeTV – Cdrama, Kdrama&More
WeTV Lite
Lucky Live-Live Video Streaming App
Taobao Live
DingTalk
Identity V
Isoland 2: Ashes of Time
BoxStar (Early Access)
Heroes Evolved
Happy Fish
Jellipop Match-Decorate your dream island
Munchkin Match: magic home building
Conquista Online II
To recall, the Government of India has banned 50 Chinese apps on June 29, 2020, and 118 more apps on September 2. In the first phase, popular short video platform TikTok was banned and then PUBG Mobile and Bigo Live. The apps were banned stating the same provisions of the Information Technology Act. It remains to be seen as to whether Indian alternatives can replace the banned apps.
AliExpress was considered as a favorable destination for buying cheap electronics after eBay shuts the door in India after Walmart acquired Flipkart. The condition imposed by Walmart is that Flipkart should close down eBay. This move has let thousands of sellers to face the heat because they are unable to find another destination for selling low-cost electronics and accessories. The small sellers are not happy with the commission system of Flipkart. Interestingly, Reliance Jio also entered the e-commerce industry with the launch of JioMart.
After the initial ban, several Indian companies have launched its own version of the banned apps. For example, TikTok is being replaced by Chingari. According to Ajay Data, CEO, VideoMeet, the latest move to ban 43 Chinese apps is a great initiative in our quest towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. The big security issue is that the banned 43 Chinese apps collect plenty of data without users knowledge and store them on Chinese servers.
The Chinese sources have claimed that banning apps will have adverse consequences when it comes to investors confidence. Moreover, Global investors will find it hard to invest in a fragile Indian economy that is on a sticky wicket. The Indian Government is of the opinion that companies based in India will develop its own version of all the banned apps and this will promote employment in India. It is to be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative with an aim to boost manufacturing in India.
