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Govt orders Apple and Google to remove 7 mobile apps that stall e-rickshaws
Govt says continued hosting of the apps is a potential legal violation that could strip Apple, Google of the legal immunity they enjoy as intermediaries
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The Centre has asked Apple and Google to remove at least seven mobile apps used to remotely disable battery-operated vehicles, days after videos of pranksters immobilising e-rickshaws with a tap on their smartphones went viral across Indian social media.
The apps including BAT-BMS, Lossigy and Epoch-i-ion connect to vulnerable Bluetooth-enabled battery management systems (BMS) and have been used to switch off vehicles mid-journey, according to a senior government official at the Union ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity). “Any other such apps being misused will also be blocked,” a second government official said.
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The action is not being taken under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the provision typically used to block online content and apps. “It doesn’t come within the ambit of 69A,” the senior Meity official said.
Instead, the government is treating continued hosting of the apps as a potential legal violation that could strip Apple and Google of the legal immunity they otherwise enjoy as intermediaries. “It’s a potential violation of law, and hence the safe harbour could be lifted,” the official said, referring to protections under Section 79 of the IT Act, which shield platforms from liability for third-party content unless they fail to act on a legal notice.
The official did not specify which law the apps are alleged to violate.
The government did not say whether notices have also been issued to the app developers, or whether any action is planned against manufacturers of the vulnerable battery systems.
In a test conducted with a driver’s permission, HT was able to disable an e-rickshaw using one of the apps after connecting to its unsecured Bluetooth-enabled BMS. The apps are designed to monitor battery health — voltage, temperature, current — but can also cut power to compatible lithium-ion packs when connected to an unprotected Bluetooth interface.
