New Delhi, India – The Indian government’s recent crackdown on Chinese-linked apps has now reached the doors of local companies. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked loan apps LazyPay and Kissht from PayU.
Sources say that the blocking of these apps may have been due to confusion, as has happened in the past. One anonymous source stated, “Kissht and LazyPay bank accounts were frozen when Chinese loan apps were restricted by MeitY previously. But, their banking facilities were restored when they clarified to authorities about no linkage to China.”
Although some users can still download the mobile apps on Android, their websites have been displaying error messages despite multiple attempts.
Kissht stated, “The Kissht app and website are working for its customers. We are aware that Google has been asked to take down a list of companies from the Play Store that includes our company, but uncertain about the cause of such a notification. We are meeting officials tomorrow to seek clarification.” The spokesperson added that the company has no Chinese stakeholders.
On Sunday, MeitY blocked a total of 138 betting apps and 94 loan apps with links to China for their alleged involvement in money laundering and posing a threat to India’s financial security. The government’s actions have sparked a nationwide conversation on data privacy and national security.
