Hyderabad: The government of India directed Google to remove the Chinese video chat app Ablo from the Play Store for incorrect depiction of India’s territorial borders, following which the application is no longer available for Indian users. The application was accused of misrepresenting the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and omitting the Lakshadweep Islands from the map altogether. Notably, Ablo is also absent from the Apple App Store.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), along with Survey of India (SoI), issued a notice to the tech giant, mentioning that such misrepresentation puts the sovereignty and integrity of the nation in danger. The notice also cited the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1990, which makes the misrepresentation of India’s map a punishable offence. A section of the Information Technology Act, 2000 mandates online platforms to remove content which violates Indian laws.
During its removal, the app had over 10,000 downloads, which indicates that it had a small yet active user base. The misrepresentation of India’s map led the app to be flagged down despite its useful features.
Before Ablo, apps such as World Map Quiz and MA2- President Simulator were removed for similar reasons. The former app misrepresented the territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, while the latter app was flagged for misrepresenting India’s map.
In 2021, X (formerly known as Twitter) faced backlash for displaying a distorted map of India and showcasing Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as separate countries. The union government took action and rectified the map after protests. Similarly, in 2023, WhatsApp apologised and removed a video it posted on Twitter, for displaying an incorrect map of India. In 2025, MAPS.Me was removed from both Google Play Store and App Store, for misrepresenting parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh outside the Indian territory.
(With inputs from agency)
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