Recently, several VPN apps have been removed from the iPhone’s App Store in India. This move follows a directive by the Indian government that mandates stricter regulations on the use of VPN services within the country. As part of this effort, authorities have pushed for the removal of VPN apps that do not comply with the country’s updated cybersecurity policies.
These apps, which were previously available for download in the Indian App Store, are now no longer accessible to users in India, raising concerns about privacy and internet freedom. The Indian government has emphasized its efforts to ensure online safety and security, while critics argue that these actions limit privacy rights and could impact the ability of users to bypass online censorship.
In line with a new privacy law passed in India, Apple has been forced to remove several VPN apps from its App Store in the country. The law, which prohibits the anonymous use of VPN services, mandates that VPN providers store user information, including names, addresses, and transaction histories, for up to five years. As a result, VPN apps that do not comply with these regulations, such as NordVPN, which does not store user data, have been removed.
This move follows a similar action taken by Apple in 2017 when, due to strict regulations in China, the company had to remove hundreds of VPN apps from the Chinese App Store. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, at the time, explained that the removal of VPNs in China was done in compliance with local laws.
The recent law in India, proposed in 2022, significantly affects VPN services that prioritize user privacy. It is likely that more VPN apps will be removed from the App Store in the future as compliance with these regulations becomes a requirement for all VPN providers operating in India.
Currently, six VPNs, including Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1, have been removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in India by order of Indian authorities. The Ministry of Home Affairs of India directly issued the directive to remove these apps.
It is anticipated that India will eventually follow China’s lead, resulting in the removal of hundreds of VPN apps from the reach of users in the country. Due to the unacceptable nature of the new conditions for many reputable VPN providers, Indian users will have limited access to privacy tools in the future.
The situation continues to evolve, and it is unclear whether the affected VPN apps will return to the App Store after addressing the regulatory requirements.