47 Chinese Apps Banned: Does PUBG Mobile Require Permissions it Asks For?

47 Chinese apps have been banned once again by the Government of India after banning 59 Chinese apps, including popular ones like TikTok and CamScanner, over user privacy violations. While the official list is yet to be announced by the government, reports suggest that clone apps of the 59 apps that were banned last week are included in the list. Furthermore, popular apps such as PUBG Mobile may be on the scanner for violating user privacy as well.

Permissions Required by PUBG Mobile

Tencent owned PUBG Mobile, which is the most popular mobile game in India, requires gamers to be connected through audio. Also, the app would need storage and internet connectivity permissions. However, the permissions that the app currently asks for are as follows:

This app has access to:

• Photos / Media / Files
• Modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
• Read the contents of your USB storage
• Device & app history
• Retrieve running apps
• Microphone
• Record audio
• Wi-Fi connection information
• View Wi-Fi connections
• Storage
• Modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
• Read the contents of your USB storage

Other Permissions Include

• Receive data from Internet
• Pair with Bluetooth devices
• Change network connectivity
• Connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
• Prevent device from sleeping
• Access Bluetooth settings
• Change your audio settings
• Full network access
• Google Play license check
• View network connections
• Control vibration

Whether these permissions are actually required by the app or not had earlier initiated a debate on Reddit. “Have you SEEN what it wants? Contacts/Pictures/Browser History/Other Apps/Camera Access/Microphone Access. Aaaannnd over 10 million downloads. Why?” posted a user on Reddit. However, other gamers claim that these permissions would indeed be required by the game and they do not violate user privacy rules.

“All these permissions makes sense, camera to save photos or clips, mic for, well mic, contacts so you can invite friends. It's just popular now to assume your data is being stolen and sold. I'd bet OP has at least 10 apps currently downloaded with these permissions,” says another user.

Can PUBG Mobile be Banned in India?

While there is no confirmation from the government on this development, reports suggest that PUBG Mobile and over 250 more Chinese apps like Alibaba may be on the scanner for violating user privacy norms.