Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 21: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Survey of India (SoI), has directed Google to remove the Chinese video chat app 'Ablo' from its Play Store due to the app's incorrect depiction of India's territorial boundaries.

The government’s directive highlighted that the app, which has over 10,000 downloads, misrepresented the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and entirely omitted Lakshadweep Island from its map. MeitY invoked the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1990, which deems such misrepresentation a punishable offense, with penalties including imprisonment up to six months, fines, or both.

The notice from MeitY emphasized that the app's map jeopardized India’s sovereignty and integrity, and cited Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which mandates that intermediaries promptly remove or disable access to content that violates Indian laws.

As a result of the government's intervention, the app is no longer available on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store for Indian users. The Play Store now displays a message: "We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server."

This is not the first instance of MeitY flagging apps for incorrect maps. Earlier in 2023, the ministry raised concerns about apps like World Map Quiz and MA 2 - President Simulator for similar issues. In 2021, Twitter (now X) faced action from the Indian government for non-compliance with IT Rules, with the then Twitter India chief being booked by Uttar Pradesh police for incorrect map representation.