The Indian government has taken steps to remove various VPN applications from its app stores. Notable services impacted by these actions include Cloudflare, PrivadoVPN, and Hide.me.
Document Review and Requests
TechCrunch looked into the documents released by the ministry and found a notice from Google to Lumen, a database from Harvard that keeps track of government removal requests. A developer shared with the publication a message from Apple, which referenced a request from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center for the app's removal based on a violation of local laws.
New Regulations for VPN Providers
In 2022, India introduced new regulations that mandated VPN companies to keep user data for a period of five years. This data includes IP addresses, names, email addresses, verified phone numbers, and physical addresses. Furthermore, these providers must supply information to the government when it is requested.
Impact on VPN Companies
As a result of these new rules, many VPN services like NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN decided to close their local servers in India. Additionally, a group of cybersecurity experts urged for public discourse regarding the new regulations through an open letter to India's Computer Emergency Response Team.
Previous App Bans
In 2020, India also prohibited 59 Chinese applications. Among those still banned are TikTok, UC Browser, WeChat, and ES File Explorer, which remain inaccessible in the country.
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