Govt orders removal of two e-rickshaw apps amid remote shutdown concerns

The government has confirmed that two mobile applications linked to concerns over the remote shutdown of e-rickshaws have been removed from app stores, following reports that certain vehicles could be disabled through the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS.

Speaking on the sidelines of a CII Cybersecurity Summit on Friday, IT Secretary S Krishnan said the apps were taken down after they came to the government’s notice. He also stressed that app stores must exercise greater due diligence before hosting applications that could pose cybersecurity risks.