Today is one of those days in which we have to, albeit briefly, talk about politics. Fortunately, however, it is not about our politics, but about international politics. In fact, in the last few days, the two largest countries in the world by population, India and China, have increasingly come to the knife.
India vs Xiaomi: Banned apps like Mi Community, Mi Video and many others
The controversy arose after soldiers from the two countries clashed violently on the Sino-Indian border, which spans approximately 3.500 km. The two military forces keep an eye on Ladakh, a high altitude desert that China claims and controls a 43.000 square kilometer piece. After decades of negotiations between New Delhi and Beijing, no solution has yet been reached that will satisfy the two countries, which remain in competition to grab over 135.000 square kilometers of territory along the border.
But let's finally see what India has to do with Xiaomi and why we are talking about it here on XiaomiToday. As guessed from the title, the Indian government has decided to punish China with the ban of several Chinese applications and websites.
In particular, 59 Chinese apps would have been banned, including several developed by Xiaomi such as Mi Community and Mi Video Call. This means that Indian users will no longer be able to use the parent company's apps, and at the same time they will not be able to connect to Xiaomi websites.
The new law number 69A of the Information Technology Act states that:
- Where the central government or any of its officers specially authorized by it on behalf of the government is convinced that it is necessary or appropriate to do so, in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, the security of the state, the friendly relations with foreign States or public order or to prevent the incitement to the commission of any known offense referred to above, may be subject to the provisions of subsection (2), for reasons that must be registered in writing, by order, to direct any agency of the Government or intermediary to block public access or cause the blocking for public access of any information generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any IT resource.
- The procedure and guarantees to which such blocking can be carried out for public access must be prescribed.
- The intermediary who does not respect the direction issued pursuant to subsection (1) is punished with a custodial sentence for a period that can extend to seven years and can also be fined.
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT also said that "concerns were raised regarding the data security and privacy aspects of 1,3 billion Indians." The ministry said it had received numerous complaints. from various sources, including several reports on the misuse of some apps available on Android and iOS platforms, for the theft and illegal transmission of user data in an unauthorized way to servers that have offices outside India.
So the Indian government says that these measures have been taken to ensure the privacy of Indian users, although in reality it is difficult not to think that it is a real spite against China.
In any case, in addition to the Xiaomi apps, apps such as the famous TikTok have also been banned which during the coronavirus pandemic saw an increase in popularity in India. But there is no lack of less popular but more useful apps such as Parallel Space, Xender, Shareit and Cam Scanner. As well as the Chinese Twitter alternative, Weibo and the incredibly popular mobile game "Clash of Kings".
Finally, remember that a few days ago several Mi Stores had to hide the Xiaomi logo to avoid being vandalized by those who see an enemy in China.
