CAIT Writes Letter to Government Demanding the Ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India

Battlegrounds Mobile India, the PUBG Mobile India equivalent, was released last week to pre-registered beta testers. Notably, the game has already received over 5 million downloads during its early access period. Krafton has not yet declared a release date for Battlegrounds Mobile India. 

However, since PUBG Mobile India was originally banned and Krafton stated it will roll out an equivalent in the shape of Battlegrounds Mobile India, controversy has surrounded the game, and now a renewed request has been made for a ban to be enforced and the game to be removed from Google Play. 

Because of Krafton's tie-up with Tencent and the threat to security, the game has faced government opposition. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has now spoken out against the rebranding of PUBG Mobile as Battlegrounds Mobile India. 

CAIT also stated that Google should not be permitted to sell its platform to enterprises that may endanger the country's security. The letter further said that, while Battlegrounds Mobile India is only available in India, user data would be moved to Singapore and other locations. 

In addition, non-Indian legislation will apply to user data, and the software will include elements from PUBG Mobile, which was banned in India last year. It also stated that the game's software bundle on the Play Store includes pubg.imobile for pre-registration. 

CAIT's National Secretary General, Praveen Khandelwal, posted the letter on Twitter, along with many tweets requesting the government to ban Battlegrounds Mobile India. 

According to Battlegrounds Mobile India's latest statement on Facebook,

"KRAFTON, Inc., the creator of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA and the owner of the blockbuster IP - PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, is working to fully comply with the Indian laws and regulations as we lead up to the official launch of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA.

KRAFTON is implementing the industry's toughest standards for data security and is working to overcome any shortcomings throughout the Early Access testing period, for the official launch of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA.

In the meantime, KRAFTON is fully aware of the recent concerns over data handling in regards to BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA Early Access test.

With the hopes of convening with our fans in India soon in an official launch, KRAFTON has been tirelessly working on the Early Access test of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA to offer a distinct battle royale experience in a safe and secure environment. And with privacy, player data safety and protection being our top priority, KRAFTON is taking the concerns raised very seriously and has taken immediate, concrete actions to address this issue.

Similar to other global mobile games and apps, BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA also uses third party solutions to provide unique game features. In the process of using these solutions, some game data was shared to third parties. BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA's privacy policy (https://www.battlegroundsmobileindia.com/privacy) fully discloses that the app may transfer some user data, with users' consent to the privacy policy and choosing to migrate their accounts. No data has been shared in violation of the privacy policy.

Thus, data shared to third parties are ONLY to enable certain game features. In the meantime, KRAFTON will continue to closely monitor and protect any data being transferred to unexpected and restricted IP addresses prior to the official launch."

In September 2020, PUBG Mobile was banned in India. Due to security concerns, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology banned both PUBG Mobile and its lighter counterparts, as well as 116 other Chinese applications.

The servers shut down in October 2020, and Indian mobile gamers were unable to access the game. Since the announcement of a potential Indian version of PUBG Mobile, fans have been yearning for further details. 

Battlegrounds Mobile India is a glimmer of hope for all Indian battle royale fans who have been hoping for an Indian version of PUBG Mobile to return. In the middle of the melancholy induced by the ban, the revelation of a unique edition of PUBG Mobile designed for Indians brightened fans up in November 2020.

Also Read - Assam: First International Tea Day Auction in Jorhat Fetches Record Prices

Also Watch