An image has been doing the rounds on social media claiming to be an official letter by the Government of India stating that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has directed Google and Apple to ban Chinese Apps from Play Store and App Store respectively.
These apps include TikTok, VMate, Vigo Video, LiveMe, Bigo Live, Beauty Plus, CamScanner, Club Factory, Shein, Romwe, and AppLock.
Link to the archived post.
Official circular by GoI to ban Chinese Apps. pic.twitter.com/9bIG0ad0D1
— Xi the Pooh (@SeedsOThought) June 20, 2020
These messages are being spread in the wake of strenuous relations between India and China.
FACT CHECK
We fact-checked the above claim and found it to be false.
We first went through the official website of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and found no such circular under their notifications section or on the home page.
Another red flag was the fact that towards the end of the letter, MeitY was misspelt as Moity.
Moreover, in a tweet, the Press Information Bureau clarified that the order is fake.
Claim: A viral message of an order allegedly from NIC claims that @GoI_Meity has prohibited some apps from being made available on App Stores. #PIBFactCheck: The Order is #Fake. No such instruction has been given by @GoI_MeitY or NIC. pic.twitter.com/Dt7rMR7nIz
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 19, 2020
Hence, it is confirmed that this is fake news and the government has not issued any such letter.
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