NEW DELHI: Telecom industry sources confirmed that the Centre's Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued a direction to all telecom and internet service providers to immediately block access to all 59 mobile apps banned by the government.
Service providers have been asked to immediately comply with the orders and submit compliance reports to the DoT.
According to government sources, while representatives from the App companies are to be given a hearing within two days, the government has already issued orders to enforce a "multi-level blocking of access" to the 59 Chinese apps banned on Monday.
The list of apps to be blocked include highly popular ones such as TikTok, Helo and Clash of Kings.
List of apps banned by the government:
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In the normal course, the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 requires that such an enquiry has to be conducted by a high-level committee before access may be blocked.
However, the order “banning” these apps has been issued under the emergency provisions of the IT Act and the above mentioned rules. Under these, government departments need not wait for the enquiry to begin blocking procedures.
“Apps will be given an opportunity to represent their side, it is the normal process for any matters such as this. But, directions to begin the multi-level blocking process has already begun. First, they will be removed from the App Stores. Then, internet access will be blocked through orders issued to internet service providers (ISP),” said a senior government official.