Several VPN apps, including Cloudflare’s popular 1.1.1.1, have been removed from India’s Apple App Store and Google Play Store after government intervention, as reported by TechCrunch.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued removal orders for these apps, as shown in a document reviewed by TechCrunch and disclosed by Google to Lumen, Harvard University’s database tracking government takedown requests globally.
Affected apps include Hide.me and PrivadoVPN. Apple cited a “demand” from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which found the developer content to be in violation of Indian law.
The ministry, Apple, Google, and Cloudflare have not responded to requests for comment.
This action marks the first major implementation of India’s 2022 regulatory framework for VPN apps. The rules require VPN providers and cloud service operators to keep detailed records of customers for five years.
These stringent requirements have been met with resistance from industry leaders like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, SurfShark, and ProtonVPN, with some announcing plans to withdraw their server infrastructure from India.
While NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and SurfShark still offer services for Indian customers, they have stopped marketing their apps in the country.
