- A senior official from the Union government’s cybersecurity division has recommended banning BGMI in India.
- The reasons behind the ban suggestions mainly revolve around BGMI user data being exploited.
- Krafton has been asked for a meeting in the upcoming weeks to decide the fate of BGMI in India.
The future of Battlegrounds Mobile India might be in shambles yet again. According to reports by News18, the most popular mobile game in India, BGMI, is under scrutiny by the Indian government due to fears of potential misuse of user data. The report further states that the data could be linked directly to China. Will this lead to BGMI getting a ban in India?
A senior official from the Union government’s cybersecurity division (law enforcement department) has recommended that the app be discontinued.
The report also adds that the entry of Seema Haider, a Pakistani national, into India, is also a big concern for the government. Sachin Meena, Seema Haider’s partner, allegedly met her through BGMI. This raises concern in the government, as some suggest that other entities can exploit this location and user data. These exploits can also result in a major cyberattack, as the game is played largely across the country.
BGMI recently collaborated with Ranveer Singh as he became a playable character in the game. The game also saw a surge in players and Esports tournaments in the past few months. But where does this lead?
Future of BGMI in India?
As per the reports, a meeting is scheduled to discuss the issue, and the outcome of that meeting could determine the fate of BGMI in India. Keep in mind that BGMI is a variant of PUBG Mobile that was originally developed by a Chinese company, Tencent. After the game was banned in India in 2020 due to security concerns, Krafton decided to develop BGMI specifically for the Indian market.
Krafton also removed certain features from the game that were questioned by the Indian government, such as the ability to chat with other players during the game or showing excessive violence. Despite these changes, the Indian government is still concerned about the game. One major concern is that user data could be transferred to servers in China. The Indian government has recently been cracking down on Chinese tech companies, citing security concerns.
For now, Krafton has not officially responded to this matter. The meeting scheduled to discuss BGMI will likely focus on these data transfer concerns. If the Indian government is not satisfied with Krafton’s answers, it is possible that BGMI could also be banned. This would be a major blow to Krafton, as India is a large and important market for the company. Especially with all the recent surge in popularity, the game has retained.
Remember that no decision has been made yet about the future of BGMI in India. So, the BGMI ban in India depends on the meeting that is scheduled to take place in the upcoming weeks.
What do you think about this likely ban on BGMI? Drop your opinion down in the comments below.
