MeitY orders Google to take down Chinese chat app over map dispute

Political map of India. Source: Survey of India

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), along with the Survey of India (SoI), has directed Google to remove the social app ‘Ablo’ from its Play Store, citing the app’s incorrect depiction of the country’s territorial boundaries.

In the notice, the government said the China-based video chat platform, which has over 10,000 downloads on Google Play, misrepresented the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and entirely omitted Lakshadweep Island from its map. The directive also referenced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1990, which makes such misrepresentations a punishable offense with imprisonment of up to six months, fines, or both.

In the notice to Google, MeitY invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which mandates intermediaries to “expeditiously remove or disable access” to content that violates Indian laws.

"It is evident that the subject map in the 'Ablo' app available at Google Play Store depicts Indian map with erroneous external boundary of India which jeopardises the sovereignty and integrity of India," the notice read.

MeitY also cited the Supreme Court’s 2015 Shreya Singhal v. Union of India judgment, which obligates intermediaries to act on valid government orders.

According to MEITY’s letter (Annexure ‘B’), the issue of incorrect maps on digital platforms, was flagged during a meeting with SoI. The ministry urged SoI to pursue legal action against such apps under relevant laws.

While Ablo remained live on the Play Store as of the latest check, it was unavailable on Apple’s App Store. The government has requested an “early action” update from authorities. Moneycontrol has reached out to Google and the app developers for comments on the matter.

The directive follows previous government crackdowns on digital platforms for similar violations.

In 2023, MeitY and SoI flagged apps on the Play Store such as World Map Quiz and MA 2 - President Simulator for depicting India’s borders incorrectly. In 2021, Twitter was embroiled in a dispute with the Indian government over compliance with the IT Rules 2021. At the time, former Twitter India executive Manish Maheshwari was charged by Uttar Pradesh police for wrongfully depicting an Indian map.

Twitter's career website, Tweep Life, had shown the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh outside of India. The distorted map, which was flagged by a Twitter user, sparked outrage and calls for action. However, the map has since been corrected.