BGMI was recently banned by the government under the Section 69(A) of IT Act. The ban was put into action few months ago as BGMI was removed from Google Play as well as Apple App Store. The BGMI Makers, Krafton Inc., was given a time of 14 days by the authorities to prove their innocence.
WHY AND HOW WAS BGMI BANNED?
Indian government blocked the access to BGMI under the Section 69(A) of IT Act. Our preliminary report disclosed that the authorities have concerns over data migration policies and its Chinese connections. The official action was taken soon and Krafton has been working with the authorities since then to bring the game back in India.
Some major events took place following the BGMI in India. There has been a constant back and fourth between the authorities and Krafton officials. The BGMI developers have received a time window of 14 days to prove their innocence. The changes with no definitive conclusion has painted a very hazy picture about BGMI’s future in the country.
WHAT IS SECTION 69(A) OF IT ACT
- It confers on the Central and State governments the power to issue directions “to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource”.
- The grounds on which these powers may be exercised are:
- In the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state.
- Friendly relations with foreign states.
- Public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to these.
- For investigating any offence.
The law reads:
69A. Power to issue directions for blocking for public access of any information through any computer resource
(1) Where the Central Government or any of its officer specially authorised by it in this behalf is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do, in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above, it may subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), for reasons to be recorded in writing, by order, direct any agency of the Government or intermediary to block for access by the public or cause to be blocked for access by the public any information generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer resource.
(2) The procedure and safeguards subject to which such blocking for access by the public may be carried out; shall be such as may be prescribed.
(3) The intermediary who fails to comply with the direction issued under sub-section (1) shall be punished with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven year and also be liable to fine.
KRAFTON RESPONDS TO THE BAN ORDER
Krafton India had released an official statement addressing the current issue of BGMI ban in India. In a statement addressed to every BGMI player, the CEO of Krafton India has made some assurances and confirmed that they are working with the authorities to resolve this matter.
The entire statement reads as follows:
Dear patron of BGMI, we are committed to the Indian market and are positive about the opportunities in the country. At KRAFTON, Inc. the security and privacy of our user data is of utmost importance to us. We have always been compliant with all laws and regulations in India including data protection laws and regulations and will continue. We thank you for all the love and support you have shown us in our journey uptill here and hope to continue our association in the future as well. There may be questions in your minds regarding the current situation about the country’s most loved game. In line with this, we have been working hard to communicate our sincerity with the concerned authorities and resolve the issues. We kindly request you to wait to hear from us. We will keep you informed about further updates. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships and collectively fostering the gaming ecosystem in India. Thank you – Sean Hyunil Sohn CEO, KRAFTON, Inc India.
KRAFTON HOSTS ACTIVITIES IN BGMI DESPITE BAN
Krafton was recently seen doing some activities on their BGMI servers even though the game is officially banned. Recently, the servers were taken down for maintenance break and after that, two new in-game events were added to the game, which should not happen if a game is banned in the country.
POSSIBILITY OF BGMI UNBAN IN INDIA
Krafton has already assured its fan base that they are engaging with authorities and will be working to solve any issues that may linger around the game. If they are able to prove their innocence that the game has no Chinese connections, the game will easily return in to the market.
The future of BGMI in India is very unpredictable right now. There are a lot of things happening and with Krafton launching minor but new content in the game, one can say that the game will make its return but no official statement has been provided till date.
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