Several WeChat India users have revealed that they are constantly being forced to log out and unable to log back in while using WeChat, regardless of network status.
There are indications that WeChat has actively stopped supporting mobile phone users with Indian number segments.
The affected WeChat users were all registered with local Indian mobile numbers, while those registered with Chinese mobile numbers were still able to use them, according to Bianews.
When the accounts were logged out, users received a message from the WeChat team that read: "Pursuant to lndian law we are unable to offer you WeChat at this time. We value each of our users, and data security and privacy are of utmost importance to us. We are engaging with relevant authorities and hope to be able to resume services in the future.”
At the end of June, the Indian government issued a notice banning 59 mobile applications from the Indian market on the grounds that they "affect national security".
These include WeChat, QQ, QQ Player, QQ Music, QQ Mail, QQ News from Tencent, as well as TikTok, HELO, VIGO VEDIO from ByteDance, Xiaomi Video, UC Browser, Baidu Map, and Weibo.
In the Indian government's announcement, the action against mobile apps is highlighted as being based on "national security". The announcement argued that the banned apps did not comply with regulations regarding the collection of user data.
It said user data is stored on servers outside of India and could be used to mine and exploit data that is hostile to India's national security and defense.
