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The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has reportedly served a notice to Google, asking the tech giant to remove many VPN apps and two chrome extensions for non-compliance with the Indian law enforcement agencies in providing information to identify the offenders in cases related to hoax threats sent to schools, airports and hospitals.
The notice, which was reportedly sent on October 29, ordered the removal of 11 apps, two Chrome extensions and one Windows installer link within 36 hours to avoid loss of safe harbour protection for Google, reported the Hindustan Times.
“The VPN service providers have been non-compliant to the information/resolution request served by Indian Agencies for identifying the criminals sending life-threatening emails/messages,” the publication cited the I4C notice.
The notice cited violations of section 66 of the Information Technology Act and invoked several provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including organised crime (section 111), assertions prejudicial to national integration (section 197), harbouring offenders (section 249) and not obeying a public servant’s order (section 223(a)), the publication reported citing the notice, which Google shared with Harvard University’s Lumen database.
According to the report, all VPN apps, cited in the order, including Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1, Switzerland-based HideMe and Privado, and Potato VPN, are no longer available on Google’s Play Store and the Chrome extensions - Touch VPN and X VPN- have also reportedly been removed.
Some of the VPN apps were also reportedly not available on Indian App store even as there is no confirmation on whether a similar takedown notice was issued to Apple.