November 26 2020: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has on November 24, banned the access in India, to another 43 mobile apps,  “for engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”. These are mostly e-commerce, social networking and dating applications. 
They include a clutch of online apps tied to the dominant Chinese e-commerce player Alibaba including AliExpress and Alipay Cashier; dating apps like WeDate, Date in Asia and Chinese Social;  business card reader CamCard;  TV apps like WeTV and MangoTV  and China’s answer to Amazon – Taobao. Full list here.|
This is the third tranche of mobile apps banned in India this year:  59 apps were banned in June and another 118 in September. This brings the total to 220.
The Indian app developer community has largely welcomed the latest bans:
Says  Teja Gudluru, Founder & CEO of the expert advice app UDo-now.com: “I think this is a strong move by the government that sends out a strong message that Indian data cannot be compromised. We welcome anyone to do business here, but Indian users data must be protected through safe means. During the last two bans on apps, home grown apps have seen a huge increase in the number of downloads. Domestic applications developers  are  being  seen  a boost to the Indian economy.”
Adds Dr. Ajay Data, Founder and CEO,  of  the videoconferencing app VideoMeet: “The Indian user base is also supporting the authorities on this front due to the geopolitical tensions our country is facing. The realization of how data breaching can impact their businesses in the  long run, has also strengthened. It is an opportune time for the Indian tech and IT community, to work towards making India's IT framework more resilient. This support to homegrown apps will help us in going global.”