India Asks Banned Chinese App Makers 77 Questions on Security, Censorship

Jul. 15, 2020

The Indian government has drawn up a detailed questionnaire for the publishers of the59 Chinese apps that were bannedin the country last month. The list of 77 questions reportedly include queries about their data security policies, as well as the content they serve to their users in India. According toReuters, the publishers have been asked whether they censor content or work on behalf of foreign governments. They’ll also have to reveal whether they lobby influencers to promote their products and services.

India’s Information Technology Ministry has given the companies three weeks to respond to the queries. There’s no word, however, on whether the ban on some of these apps could be lifted based on their answers. The 59 banned apps include the likes ofTikTok, UC Browser,ShareIt,ES File Explorer,SHEIN, and more.

Other queries were around advertisers, business structures, taxation practices and privacy policies, said the report. Finally, the government also wants to know whether they’ve faced investigations in the US, Europe or elsewhere for data-harvesting. The questionnaire has been send to the publishers of all 59 apps.

TikTok responded to Reuters’ request for a comment, saying that it was working on its response to the ministry’s queries. It also claimed that its service complies with all Indian laws and reiterated thatdata privacy is its top priority.

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