Popular Chinese messaging app WeChat, backed by Tencent, suspended services in India over the weekend. Users were automatically logged out of the app and took to Twitter to voice their concerns, News18 reported.
WeChat then issued a notification to users. “Pursuant to Indian law, we are unable to offer you WeChat at this time. We value each of our users, and data security and privacy are of utmost importance to us. We are engaging with relevant authorities and hope to be able to resume service in the future," the company said.
According to the report, this ban could have effects on Chinese nationals working from India. Speaking to News18, a Chinese national based in Gurugram said while the banning of other apps like TikTok did not affect them, the ban with WeChat could hamper their social and professional communication in the country.
On July 27th, the government announced looking into evaluating 247 apps for violation of national security and citizens privacy. This includes Tencent backed games like PUBG. Apart from 9 other Tencent apps, it also mentions lite versions of other popular apps, like TikTok Lite, Helo Lite, ShareIt Lite, Bigo Lite, and VFY Lite.
WeChat, which is backed by Tencent, was part of the list of 59 apps that were banned by the government on June 30th.
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