Indian government has banned Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps and removed them from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, alongside banning VPN websites. This move aims to curb their use in financial fraud and serious crimes, marking a significant action of its kind. Notable apps banned include 1.1.1.1 Adap (Cloudflare), Touch VPN, X-VPN, Hind.me, and PrivadoVPN.
According to ‘TechCrunch,’ the Union Home Ministry instructed Google and Apple to remove these VPN apps under rules established in 2022, with an order sent to Google on October 29. Despite the ban, many service providers shut down their servers in India but continued offering services from abroad. Consequently, the government mandated the removal of these services from app stores.
In April 2022, the Computer Emergency Response Team directed VPN service providers to collect customer data, including names, addresses, IP addresses, and contact information, and to retain this data for five years.