VLC media player, its website and the link to download the app have been banned in India.
It has been reported that VLC Media Player, the most popular media player software developed by Paris-based VideoLAN, has been banned in India. While VLC media player has been banned almost 2 months ago, neither Videolane nor the Indian government has released any details regarding the ban. As the newly installed VLC media player is only banned from internet downloads, the already installed VLC players have been running as usual.
#blocked
Videolan project’s website “https://t.co/rPDNPH4QeB” cannot be accessed due to an order issued by @GoI_MeitY. It is inaccessible for all the major ISPs in India including #ACT, #Airtel and V!. #WebsiteBlocking pic.twitter.com/LBKgycuTUo— sflc.in (@SFLCin) June 2, 2022
Technology experts suggest that the ban may have been imposed because Videolane uses a Chinese-backed hacking technology called Cicada to counter cyber attacks. Neither the company nor the Indian government has officially announced the ban on the VLC Media Player media platform as the ban is a cyber-blocking technology issue.
Twitter user Gagandeep Sabra tweeted a screenshot of the VLC website, which read, “The website has been banned under the IT Act, 2000 as per the order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.” Experts suggest that once the cyber technical complaint is fixed, the VLC website and download link will be exempted from the ban again.
Recently, the Indian government has blocked hundreds of Chinese apps including PUBG Mobile, TikTok, GameScanner and more. The reason for banning these apps is that the government believes these sites are sending user data to China.