Since 2014, the government has blocked 296 mobile apps. While stating this in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister Sanjay Dhotre said that in the interest of the sovereignty, security and public order of the country, the government has blocked these mobile apps. Dhotre, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, said in a written reply, “Under the provisions of section 69A of the IT Act 2000 and its rules, a total of 296 mobile applications have been blocked by the government since 2014.”
“In the interest of India’s sovereignty and integrity, the government has blocked these apps to maintain the security and public order of the state,” he said. The minister said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had been requested to block these apps under Section 69A of the IT Act, as MHA received several reports about the misuse of some Chinese mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms Was found.
He said that there have been several reports of misuse of some of these apps, in which serious cases such as leaking of users’ data, sharing, sharing of financial data and real-time activity with servers outside India were reported. He said that this has led to considerable improvements in national security and the current tense border situation.
In response to a separate query, the minister said that with the growing users of the internet, mobile applications and newly developed technology, the theft of personal data from such apps and websites is also increasing. He also said that the government has already introduced the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 in Parliament and is currently under consideration of a joint parliamentary committee constituted by the Lok Sabha.
Dhotre said that this bill has a provision to protect the privacy and interests of Indian citizens. Dhotre informed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is finalizing the guidelines for WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms.
LG gets more rights, Sisodia said – BJP wants to rule Delhi with ‘backdoor’