Amid rising tensions with China, India on Monday abruptly banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, claiming that they were "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order," Indian Ministry of Information Technology said.
"There have been raging concerns on aspects relating to data security and safeguarding the privacy of 130 crore Indians. It has been noted recently that such concerns also pose a threat to sovereignty and security of our country," reads a notice posted on the ministry's official website.
The sudden move comes as tensions between the two countries have been escalating recently after Indian troops crossed the border with China to conduct illegal activities and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel, causing a deadly clash between China and India's border defense troops in the Galwan Valley on June 15.