- #BanBattlegroundsPUBG was spotted trending on Indian Twitter after several users came forth requesting the Indian Government to ban the game before its relaunch.
- Krafton’s BGMI is under scrutiny after several Indian politicians made appeals to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology to block the launch of the game within India.
- Previously, Ninong Ering who is a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Arunachal Pradesh had also called for a ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India.
Krafton’s Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is under scrutiny after several Indian politicians made appeals to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology to block the launch of the game within the country. Ninong Ering (Member of the Legislative Assembly, Arunachal Pradesh), Arvind Dharmapuri (Member of Parliament, Telangana), Ashok Nete (Member of Parliament, Maharashtra), and Abhishek Singhvi (Member of Parliament, West Bengal) are among those who have called for BGMI to be blocked, expressing concerns with the game’s privacy and data policies. Following this, the hashtag ‘#BanBattlegroundsPUBG’ was trending on Twitter with many concerned users expressing apprehension over the release of BGMI. Tencent's investment in Krafton is being perceived as a concern by Indian citizens demanding the blocking of Battlegrounds Mobile India.
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Battlegrounds Mobile India’s launch Called Under Question By Indian Politicians
After PUBG Mobile was banned in India last year following the Indian Government’s directives which deemed it to be prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, various politicians have been closely looking at the announced launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India..
According to Zee News, Arvind Dharmapuri who is a Member of Parliament (MP) from Nizamabad, Telangana, had written a letter to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, earlier on 2 Jun 2021, requesting him to look into the matter.
Although he didn’t specifically call for a ban on the game, Dharmapuri had requested for this matter to be looked into and necessary action to be taken, as per the relevant rules and regulations.
Ashok Nete (an MP from Maharashtra) raised concerns about user privacy and data theft by Krafton and Tencent. He also demanded “strict action against (the) Chinese company” in his Tweet.
The main issue concerning the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India seems to be doubts about BGMI’s privacy and data security policies for Indian users and Tencent’s investment in Krafton
RELATED: Analyzing Battlegrounds Mobile India Ban Request by Politician Ninong Ering
Krafton’s data privacy policy on its website states that it will transfer user data to other countries whenever there is a requirement of data transfer to other countries or regions to meet legal requirements or for the operation of certain game services.
Krafton had earlier stated that privacy and data security is going to be the top priority for the studio while stating that “all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here”. The developer has since gone on to point out that all the user data collected via the India-exclusive Battle Royale would be stored and processed on servers located in India and Singapore.
Previously, Ninong Ering who is a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Arunachal Pradesh had also called for a ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India, calling it a “Chinese deception”. This had resulted in several Indian YouTube streamers like Paras Singh, GtxPreet, and 420 Gaming making distasteful remarks.
Following this, ’#BanBattlegroundsPUBG’ was spotted trending on Indian Twitter after several users came forth requesting the Indian Government to ban the game before its relaunch.
Currently, there is no official announcement about the release date of BGMI. However, the official Battlegrounds Mobile India social media handles have published several posts and teasers, which in turn have contributed to over 20 million pre-registrations for the game.
