What is Section 69A Under Which BGMI Was Reportedly Banned?

The newly imposed ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) has left the Indian gaming community shattered. A few days ago, BGMI fans witnessed the rise of esports when the BGMI Masters Series 2022 got televised on Star Sports 2. However, the game has been banned now by the Indian government under section 69A of the IT Act. In September 2020, PUBG Mobile and 118 other apps too were banned in India under the same IT Act.

What is Section 69A of the Indian IT Act?

Battlegrounds Mobile India has been banned in India under section 69A of the Indian IT Act. What is Section 69A of the Indian IT Act? Here is the complete information:

• It confers on the Central and State governments the power to issue directions “to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource”.

• The grounds on which these powers may be exercised are:

  • In the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, and the security of the state.

  • Friendly relations with foreign states.

  • Public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to these.

  • For investigating any offence.

• Process of Blocking Internet Websites:

  • Section 69A, for similar reasons and grounds (as stated above), enables the Centre to ask any agency of the government, or any intermediary, to block access to the public of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored or hosted on any computer resource.

    • The term ‘intermediaries’ includes providers of telecom service, network service, Internet service and web hosting, besides search engines, online payment and auction sites, online marketplaces and cyber cafes.

  • Any such request for blocking access must be based on reasons given in writing.

As the IT Act says, the Indian government holds the power to block public access to apps and websites that pose a threat to national security. According to Reuters, the Government of India used the same IT Act to ban Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) as it was reportedly transmitting Indian users’ data to Chinese servers.

The Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) ban is the most unexpected occurrence of this year as in March 2022, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) representative N. Samaya Balan responded positively to the PIL filed in Telangana High Court to ban BGMI. He said that BGMI and PUBG Mobile are different from each other. Despite MEITY’s positive approach towards Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), the game has been banned in India.