Fake News Alert: Govt Has Not Instructed Prohibition Of Chinese Apps From App Stores

A message going viral in social media claims that the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology prohibited some Chinese apps from being made available on App stores. Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the message is fake.

Photo: Getty Images (Representational Image)

New Delhi: As the call for boycotting China-made products gets louder across the country, a message that claims that the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology prohibited some apps from being made available on App Stores is going viral in social media. The message which looks like an official-looking notification by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) is addressed to ‘regional executives and representative of Google India and Apple India. According to the viral message ‘under the Information Act 2000, para I and III, the government of India instructs you to restrict the functioning of Chinese applications from the respective stores with immediate effect’. It also added that these apps compromise the sovereignty of India. It has listed several popularly used Chinese Apps such as TikTok, Club Factor, Shein, Vigo video, LiveMe, Romwe, and others.  The twitter page Fact Check by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the message is fake and that no such instructions have been given. These apps are still available in mobile app stores.

Claim: A viral message of an order allegedly from NIC claims that @GoI_Meity has prohibited some apps from being made available on App Stores. #PIBFactCheck: The Order is #Fake. No such instruction has been given by @GoI_MeitY or NIC. pic.twitter.com/Dt7rMR7nIz

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 19, 2020

ALSO READ| Tainted J&K DSP Davinder Singh Gets Bail In Terror Case; A Look At His Journey From Being A Cop To Hizbul Aide Ever since the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley on Monday night, the calls to boycott products made in China is growing. On Thursday, the traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) appealed to Bollywood celebrities to stop endorsing Chinese brands such as Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo. Protests against Chinese products have also happened in several places such as Mumbai, Varanasi, and Ahmedabad.