BGMI might reportedly be banned in India again after cybersecurity division recommendation: Report
BGMI, or Battlegrounds Mobile India, might get banned in India soon according to a recent rumor that states that the country's cybersecurity division has reportedly recommended the game to be delisted. The popular game has been in hot water since its launch and was initially banned in June 2021. The game was unbanned in May 2023 and as of writing this article, BGMI is not getting banned officially.
According to a report by News 18, the Union government's cybersecurity division has "recommended the app be discontinued." According to a senior official from the agency, several activities related to the game have alerted the authorities.
Reportedly, data collection through the game is also a point of concern and could potentially compromise the country's security, leading to cyber attacks. While the game's servers are based in the US, the agency "wants to be sure that there is no movement of data to other servers situated elsewhere."
It should be noted that PUBG Mobile was initially banned due to cyber security concerns, leading to the creation of Battlegrounds Mobile India, a dedicated version of the game tailor-made for the county. However, this title was banned in 2021 for data sharing violations.
It should be noted that the information regarding the cybersecurity agency's report does not come directly from any official sources related to the union ministry or Krafton, and as such should be considered as a rumor and taken with a grain of salt.
Is BGMI getting banned again? Possibilities explored
At the time of writing, BGMI is not getting banned. However, according to the above-mentioned report, the cybersecurity agency has recommended the game be delisted based on several concerns. The issues raised could very well spell the end of the popular mobile battle royale title.
Considering the game was previously banned for cybersecurity reasons, and several criminal activities have tainted its image, chances of a second unban might be almost non-existent.
When the game was initially unbanned back in May 2023, Union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared that the BGMI unban is a three-month trial approval period, during which the ministry will "keep a close watch on other issues of User harm, addiction, etc.," before a final decision is reached.
If the recent reports are to be believed, then BGMI's fate may be decided in the next few weeks.