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Centre bans Snapchat, 14 other apps in J&K citing use by terror organisations

The Union government has banned 15 applications, including Snapchat, from marketplaces such as Google Play and the App Store in Jammu and Kashmir, following recommendations by the Ministry of Home Affairs, officials said. Most of the other apps are communication platforms that allow encrypted messaging, which the government said had been used by terror organisations in the region.

Officials had earlier in the day indicated that these apps would be banned throughout India, but clarified later that restrictions would only be applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. Spokespeople for Snap Inc., which owns Snapchat, were unavailable for comment outside usual business hours on May Day.

The other blocked apps include Threema, a messaging app that requires a paying subscription to use. At least one large car manufacturer with operations in India uses an enterprise version of Threema for internal communications, according to a blog post on Threema’s website. It is unclear if this variant of the app has been banned too — as of writing, both versions remain available on Google Play. Zangi, another popular private messaging app that doesn’t collect users’ phone numbers to let them register, is also banned.

Other blocked apps are Crypviser and BChat, which say on their websites that they use blockchain technology to encrypt messages sent by users. Wickr Me is also a messaging app owned by Amazon Web Services that will not be available after 2023. File sharing service Mediafire is also in the list — it is unclear if separate directions have been issued to block its web version.

Briar is a peer-to-peer messaging service that uses Bluetooth and other technologies to let users communicate even if they are not connected to the Internet. A similar app, Firefly, was used by protesters in Hong Kong during its pro-democracy protests. Nandbox, which is also reportedly blocked, is an app building platform that says on its website that it allows users to build their own messaging app.

“We weren’t contacted by the Indian government before the app was blocked and we haven’t received a copy of the blocking order,” Michael Rogers, one of the founding members behind the Briar Project, told The Hindu in an emailed response. “The first we knew about this was reading about it in the news.” Rogers said the project would be reaching out to “friends at digital rights organisations” to explore options to challenge the blocking order.

While platforms like WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption for the content of messages, the Meta-owned platform provides so-called metadata, such as a user’s phone book and call history upon request from law enforcement authorities in response to legal requests.