Nearly a month after banning 59 Chinese mobile applications, the Union government has banned 47 more that included TikTok Lite, Helo Lite and Shareit Lite. The order was issued on Friday.

While there has been no official communication on the matter, government sources said the newly banned apps were mainly clones of the banned 59.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT banned the 59 apps, including popular ones such as TikTok, Shareit, Mi Video Call, Club Factory and Cam Scanner, citing threat to national security and sovereignty.

The announcement, which came amid tensions between Indian and China in Ladakh, had stated, “... in view of the emergent nature of threats, [the government] has decided to block 59 apps... in view of information available [that] they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”

Subscribe to The Hindu digital to get unlimited access to Today's paper

Already have an account ? Sign in

Start your 14 days trial now. Sign Up

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu.

Sign up for a 30 day free trial.