Ban on Chinese apps will give local platforms a chance to be among the world‘s leading technology centers
New Delhi:
Millions of Indians have joined local social media platforms since the center banned a multitude of Chinese apps, including TikTok, amid growing tensions between the two neighbors, officials said today. industry.
The ban comes as India intensifies economic pressure on China after a violent confrontation last month in which 20 soldiers sacrificed their lives for India.
The 59 banned apps include video-sharing giant TikTok, Helo and Likee, with the authorities accusing them of activities “prejudicial” to “Indian sovereignty and integrity”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has a huge profile on social media, gave his weight to the campaign by closing his account on the Chinese platform Weibo on Wednesday.
His photo and 115 messages made in the past five years have been deleted at the request of the Indian authorities, the Chinese company said.
India is a key market for global Internet players and local application platforms Sharechat and Roposo said they have seen a huge increase in the number of new users since Monday’s ban on their Chinese rivals.
Sharechat said in a statement that its video platform had recorded 15 million new downloads – sometimes at the rate of half a million every 30 minutes – within 48 hours of the ban.
It now has at least 150 million registered users, he added.
“We welcome the government’s decision against platforms that pose serious risks to privacy, cybersecurity and national security,” Berges Malu, director of public policy for ShareChat, told AFP.
“We believe this decision will help create a level playing field (for Indian platforms),” added Malu.
Some 10 million new subscribers have joined the Roposo video app, Naveen Tewari, chief executive of InMobi owners, bringing its user base to 75 million, AFP said. It is estimated that 120 million Indians were users of TikTok before the ban.
Tewari said the ban on apps would give local platforms the chance to become the world‘s fourth major technology hub alongside the United States, Russia and China.
Indian industry has long lobbied for action against Chinese apps that dominate the market, with Sharechat and Inmobi calling on platforms to respect Indian laws and values.
There are also fears that foreign applications will influence domestic affairs in areas such as politics.
“The deep penetration of Chinese platforms in an open democracy like India makes its future electoral processes vulnerable to outside interference and manipulation,” said a senior digital industry analyst based in Delhi, asking not to be named.
Observers say retaining new followers will be the biggest challenge for Indian sponsors, who will now have to invest in staff and content to keep the audience.
Arvind Gupta, founder and head of the DigitalIndia Foundation, told AFP that Indian companies also need to address “strategic concerns over privacy and data security” while taking advantage of the release of TikTok and other rivals .
“This vacuum also makes India’s digital landscape much more attractive for investment … from other democratic and open societies,” said Gupta, a former BJP technology chief in power.
