India's ban on quite 50 Chinese apps, including popular ones like TikTok and WeChat, has left many users surprised and disappointed.
The government said the apps were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order".
China has asked India to uphold the legal rights of international firms.
But experts say the choice - on the rear of rising tensions between India and China - may be a hasty political move.
Anti-China sentiment has been high in India since earlier this month when clashes between the 2 nuclear-armed neighbors left 20 Indian troops dead.
The fighting occurred within the Himalayan region of Ladakh, where both countries have increased deployment on the brink of the disputed border.
Calls to boycott Chinese goods soon emerged, and therefore the government issued directives to cancel or limit Chinese contracts with public sector companies.
But the ban on the apps took many all of sudden. The list includes the microblogging platform Weibo, the strategy game Clash of Kings, Alibaba's UC Browser, and e-commerce apps Club Factory and Shein.
The app makers have said they're in talks with the Indian government, while Beijing has asked India to reconsider its decision.
"We want to worry that the Chinese government always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international and native laws-regulations. Indian government features a responsibility to uphold the legal rights of international investors including Chinese ones" ANI press agency quotes Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying.
What prompted the ban?
India's Ministry of data Technology has said the ban was the result of "many complaints from various sources" about apps that were "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner".
Many of the Chinese apps are linked to controversies over data privacy and are accused of sharing sensitive information with the Chinese government. US senators have even involved an investigation into TikTok, which fiercely rejects such claims.
The Indian government said in its statement that, "the compilation of those data, it's mining, and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, maybe a matter of very deep and immediate concern which needs emergency measures".
This isn't the primary time Chinese apps are banned in India. In 2017, Alibaba's UC Browser had come under the scanner for allegedly leaking mobile data of Indian users. which year, India's defense ministry asked all armed personnel and officers to uninstall 42 Chinese apps it classified as "spyware", consistent with media reports.
Some, however, believe that the timing of the ban - amid escalating tensions - isn't coincidental, but rather a response to the tensions at the border.
"This may be a purely political move," Nikhil Pahwa, the editor of MediaNama, a media watchdog, told the BBC.
"I don't think it'll affect the apps - maybe the amount of the users [will drop] but it'll only have a minor impact on [they're] revenue," Mr. Pahwa said.
So what's the impact of the ban?
The ban will affect many users in India.
"As China has shown, governments can indeed block apps—not just remove them from the app stores, which has already happened in India, so you cannot install them afresh or upgrade an existing install," says tech policy expert Prasanto K Roy.
He adds that although there are ways to urge round the ban, it'll "effectively kill" popular apps.
"If over 95% of 100 million users exit, that kills the 'network effect' and most of the content, and hence an app like TikTok is not any longer attractive."
India is TikTok's biggest foreign market, with an estimated 120 million users.
In the years since it's launched in India, the app has become a platform for Indians of all ages and classes - from police constables to housewives - who dance, sing and perform for his or her followers. The app has turned many ordinary Indians into social media stars.
And Mr. Roy says the ban will hurt all Indians who were making money and business connections through these apps.
"The thousands of TikTok influencers who were making a living off the platform and therefore the many Indian traders and businessmen who got to hook up with people in China and do this over WeChat —this cuts them off."
He agrees that there's cause for concern around how the apps treat user data, but he says the response should be within the sort of a privacy law, which India doesn't have.
"It's a soft strike at the Chinese, payback for the claimed border violations and up to date violent conflict," he adds.
What do the app-makers say?
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, told the BBC, it's "committed to working with the govt to demonstrate our dedication to user security and our commitment to the country overall.
Nikhil Gandhi, the TikTok's India head, said on Twitter that the corporate had been invited to satisfy "concerned government stakeholders for a chance to reply and submit clarifications."
Other apps makers are yet to reply to the ban. Experts say that the majority of those firms will attempt to lobby policymakers but they're unlikely to be allowed as long as tensions continue at the border and anti-China sentiments remain high within the country.
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