India removes several VPN apps from Apple, Google app stores
What's the story
The Indian government has ordered the takedown of several Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps, including the popular 1.1.1.1 by Cloudflare, from Apple's App Store and Google Play Store.
The move was confirmed via a document reviewed by TechCrunch and a disclosure made by Google to Lumen, Harvard University's database that tracks government takedown requests around the world.
Other affected apps include Hide.me and PrivadoVPN.
Official directive
Removal order issued by Indian Ministry of Home Affairs
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the removal orders for these VPN apps.
In a message to one of the affected developers, seen by TechCrunch, Apple cited a "demand" from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, a division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Centre alleged that the developer's content violated Indian law. However, neither the ministry nor tech giants Apple, Google, and Cloudflare have commented on this.
Regulatory enforcement
Enforcement action marks 1st major application of new rules
This enforcement action marks the first major use of India's 2022 regulatory framework for VPN apps.
The rules mandate VPN providers and cloud service operators to maintain detailed records of their customers, including names, addresses, IP addresses, and transaction histories for five years.
This has prompted major pushback from industry players like NordVPN, ExpressVPN SurfShark, and ProtonVPN who have raised serious concerns over these rules.
Industry response
VPN providers plan to withdraw server infrastructure from India
In response to India's new regulations, several leading VPN providers have announced plans to withdraw their server infrastructure from the country.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and SurfShark still continue to serve Indian customers but have stopped promoting their apps in the country.
This development underscores the ongoing tussle between tech companies and government authorities over data privacy issues and regulatory compliance.