'Boycott Chinese apps' campaign heats up, may have little economic impact

Apart from the boycott campaign, Indian intelligence agencies have red-flagged usage of over 50 China-linked apps as being a threat to national security.

The border stand-off between India and China has sparked a campaign here that is gaining momentum to boycott Chinese products, including applications like videoconferencing app Zoom, short-video app TikTok, UC Browser, file-sharing app SHAREit, and gaming app PUBG. This comes weeks after the app “Remove Chinese Apps” tried to tap into a similar sentiment amidst escalating tensions at the border.

Besides the boycott campaign, Indian intelligence agencies have red-flagged over 50 China-linked apps as posing a threat to national security. There are concerns that these apps aren’t safe and might be extracting a large amount of data. 

Experts said the government can