VLC Media player banned; website download link blocked in India

New Delhi: VLC, which has been operating in India for years as multi-media player software and streaming media server, has been banned in India, according to media reports. It is reported that the ban was implemented in India nearly 2 months ago. However, the media player software developed by VideoLAN will work on any device if the software is already installed on any device, according to MediaNama.

However, it becomes important to note that neither the company nor the Indian government released any official statement in this regard. Owing to this, this ban is being called a soft ban in media reports.

At present, the VLC Media player website and download link are said to be banned in the country as both are not offering the service. The media reports also say all major internet service providers such as Jio, Vodafone-idea, and others have banned it.

Why VLC media player banned in India?

The question is very obvious to ask as to why the Indian government decided to ban VLC media players. As per the media reports, China-backed hacking group Cicada has been using it to launch cyber attacks. Before banning the software, security experts found Cicada was planning to deploy a malicious malware loader into it. It is alleged that Cicada is running a cyber attack campaign for a long time.

It is important to note that VLC is not a Chinese company as it is developed by a Paris-based firm, VideoLAN.

So far, the government banned over 270 Chinese apps, claiming them to be a threat to the country’s cyber security.