Rabiya Bashir
Srinagar, Sep 14: Health and Medical Education Department (H&ME) has asked its employees to desist from using Chinese apps including CamScanner- which has been banned by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).
CamScanner is an app to scan documents but it got banned in India along with 58 other apps from Chinese companies following the government’s order.
The MEITY has banned these apps after considering it as a threat perception with regard to privacy and security of Indians.
“It has been noticed that some Officers/Officials of Health and Medical Education Department are still continuing the use of these applications especially CamScanner while sharing official communications on digital platforms and uploading documents on websites, thereby defeating the very purpose of instructions notified in this regard by MEITY, Government of India. This violation of standing instructions has been viewed seriously by the authorities,” reads an order issued by Waqar Talib, Under Secretary to J&K Government.
He said that some of these Apps are stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data in an unauthorized manner to servers located outside India.”
The department has asked all the HoDs of Health and Medical Education Department to strictly adhere to the instructions issued on the subject and desist from using the applications banned by MEITY, Government of India.
“Any violations of the above instructions shall invite disciplinary action under the relevant conduct rules,” the order said.
In the last few years, the government of India has ordered to ban around 250 Chinese apps citing them to be “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order”.
Apps like TikTok, Xender, Shein, Camscanner were widely used in India and had millions of downloads. Ban on popular mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire shocked not only the players but also the Esports community of the country.