AliExpress and 43 other apps banned – Indian Government
In another blow to Chinese apps functioning in India, the government has banned 43 more apps in the country, including the popular online retail portal AliExpress, belonging to Jack Ma-owned e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) on Tuesday issued the order for blocking the access to these apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
“This action was taken based on the inputs regarding these apps for engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order,” it said in an official statement.
The decision was taken based on the comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs, Meity said.
Other popular apps on the list include Snack Video, a short video app which was gaining traction after the earlier ban on TikTok, and Alipay Cashier, which helped users collect payments from Alipay by scanning a QR Code.
AliExpress and Snack Video have over 100 million downloads each on Google Play Store. While shopping apps like Shien and Club Factory were blocked weeks ago, AliExpress had evaded the ban earlier. This time, over a dozen Chinese dating apps, including Chinese Social and We Date, have also been red-flagged by the country.