To make “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) successful, we must go one step beyond the principles of Panchsheel and launch six decisive strikes for victory.
In a series of stringent measures against Chinese apps, the Indian Army has issued an advisory to its soldiers and officers, ordering them to remove 89 apps including Facebook, WeChat, Zoom, Instagram, and Tinder from their mobile phones by July 15. Supporting India’s ban on Chinese apps, the United States has also begun to take advantage of the situation. This clearly underscores that cybersecurity is of paramount importance for national security and international diplomacy. China trampled upon India’s Panchsheel ideals of peace and brotherhood during the 1962 war. Even if we escape the clutches of Chinese apps, we risk falling into the grip of American imperialism. For “Atmanirbhar Bharat” to succeed, we must move beyond Panchsheel and hit a six for victory:
- Audit of Data-Sharing Agreements of All Apps: According to the Indian government, Chinese apps were sharing India’s data with the Chinese government and military. However, other foreign apps are doing the same. Just as China does, the U.S. government and intelligence agencies also breach Indian data. To ensure economic self-reliance and national security, a digital audit of the data-sharing terms of all foreign app companies must be conducted to stop the overseas auctioning of Indian data.
- Disclosure of FDI and Foreign Funding in Apps: Many of the 59 Chinese apps banned by India were funded through routes like Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, the European Union, and the Cayman Islands. Apps like Zoom, with Indian CEOs as figureheads, are reaping digital profits in India. Just as tax laws impose restrictions on the sale of assets for capital gains for a fixed period, a rule should be introduced to withdraw tax exemptions for startups in cases of foreign control. Like e-commerce companies disclose the country of origin for goods, every app’s FDI and funding details should be made public to expose the international digital mafia behind data theft.
- Criminal Cases for Data Theft: Under Operation Prism, major internet companies shared over 600 million Indian data points with the U.S. government and intelligence agencies. Strict criminal action must be taken against app companies for all past and present data theft cases, along with a system to impose heavy penalties for such violations.
- Tax Collection from Digital Companies: Last year, after the Madras High Court ban, TikTok claimed a daily loss of ₹3.5 crore, amounting to over ₹1,000 crore annually. However, according to the Registrar of Companies (RoC), TikTok’s revenue in India was around ₹46 crore. With India’s 1.3 billion population, companies like TikTok, with billions of downloads, generate business worth lakhs of crores through data auctions, yet India receives negligible tax revenue. For indigenous innovation to succeed, a strict tax regime must be enforced on these apps based on their valuation, which grows with their user base.
- Legal Framework and Regulator: Despite the Supreme Court’s historic nine-judge verdict, India has not enacted a data protection law in the past three years. Laws to regulate intermediary companies like apps and e-commerce platforms remain unimplemented. The web of regulations across TRAI, NITI Aayog, RBI, MeitY, and various ministries makes it easy for these companies to evade accountability. Just as land mafia Vikas Dubey was nabbed through coordinated planning, a robust regulator is needed to rein in the digital mafia of apps.
- Shahid Colonel Santosh App for Atmanirbhar Bharat: With U.S. restrictions on Indian students and visas, a vast pool of young talent is emerging in India. To foster an innovation ecosystem like the U.S., India needs an app to reform governance. This app could have three parts: First, all government orders from taluka to central level should be available in English, Hindi, and regional languages in one place. Second, details of all state and central government schemes should be provided to ensure benefits reach the underprivileged and curb bureaucratic corruption. Third, a system for registering complaints with resolution tracking could reduce petty litigation. If India’s brilliant engineers create this indigenous app in memory of martyr Colonel Santosh who gave a befitting reply to the Chinese army and other soldiers, it would be a true tribute to their sacrifice from the entire nation.