14 messaging apps have been blocked in India due to the threat of terrorism.
According to the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, the authorities say that these apps were allegedly used by terrorist groups for communication.
The Hindustan Times, citing sources, said that the blocked app was being used by groups active in Indian-administered Kashmir, their supporters, and ‘overground workers’, i.e., terrorist facilitators.
Among the apps to be discontinued are Krupvisor, Enigma, SafeSwiss, Vikrame, MediaFire, Briar, BChat, Nandbox, Canyon, IMO, Element, SecondLine, Zengy, and Threema.
The report states that this action was taken on the recommendation of security and intelligence agencies.
The concerned ministry has been sent a list of apps that were found to be non-compliant with Indian laws and pose a threat to national security.
The ministry was recommended to ban these apps.
Officials say the apps have been blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
According to Indian news agency ANI, a high-level memo from intelligence officials told government officials that the apps were being used to spread terror propaganda in the Kashmir Valley.
Officials were told that intelligence agencies are constantly looking for channels through which overground workers and terrorists communicate.
In one such attempt, it was found that a mobile application was being used that did not have representatives in India, making it difficult to trace the activities on it.