MeitY, along with SoI, issued a notice to Google saying that the app– Ablo– had misrepresented the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Even more concerning, the app completely left out Lakshadweep Island from the map.
The app has more than 10,000 downloads on the Google Play Store.
The Indian government has directed Google to take down a Chinese video chat app called Ablo from its Play Store. Well, the reason behind it is that the app shows India’s map incorrectly. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), along with the Survey of India (SoI), issued a notice to Google saying that the app– Ablo– had misrepresented the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Even more concerning, the app completely left out Lakshadweep Island from the map. This app has more than 10,000 downloads on the Google Play Store.
Survey“It is evident that the subject map in the ‘Ablo’ app available at Google Play Store depicts Indian map with erroneous external boundary of India which jeopardises the sovereignty and integrity of India,” the notice stated, according to Moneycontrol.
The notice also mentioned the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1990, which says that showing the Indian map incorrectly is a punishable crime. This can lead to jail time of up to six months, a fine, or both.
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MeitY also referred to Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which requires online platforms to quickly remove any content that breaks Indian laws. The ministry also cited the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in the Shreya Singhal v. Union of India case, which makes it clear that platforms must follow valid government orders.
The issue was raised during a meeting between MeitY and the Survey of India. The government has also urged the Survey of India to consider taking legal action against such apps.
While Ablo was still live on the Google Play Store at the time of the latest check, it had already been removed from Apple’s App Store.
Also read: Google found guilty of ad monopoly abuse, may face ad business split
This is not the first time digital platforms have been called out for such issues. In 2023, apps like World Map Quiz and MA 2 – President Simulator were flagged for similar reasons.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
