Govt lens on Alibaba's web browser
May Face Ban If Found Guilty Of Stealing Data
UC Web, the browser owned by Chinese internet giant Alibaba, has come under the scrutiny of the government as part of investigations against Chinese companies over alleged data theft. If found guilty of stealing data of Indian users, the company (UC Web) may be banned in the country , a top official in the ministry of electronics and IT said. “Complaints have been received against UC Browser that it sends mobile data of Indian users to servers in China. The matter is being looked into,“ the official said, requesting anonymity .UC Browser claimed to have over 100 million monthly active users in India as per a report last year, while its user base is nearly 420 million globally . According to a Stat-Counter report, UC Browser is second most used web browser in India at the end of June 2017 after Google Chrome and le ads mobile phone segment with 48.7% market share.
When contacted by TOI, a spokesperson for UC Web said it takes security and privacy very seriously , adding that “it is a common practice for IT companies to place servers all around the globe to provide better service to users... We will not do anything to breach trust of our users.“
“At UC Web, we work hard to comply with local regulations of each region we operate in... We have strong measures in place to encrypt the data while we transmit it,“ the spokesperson said, adding that the company is yet to get any notice or intimation from the government on the matter.
The spokesperson, however, defended the decision to collect user data: “It is also a standard industry practice to collect user information and data in necessary scenarios to provide users with localised services. We take necessary authorization from users to collect this data. Our systems are protected by an end-user licensing agreement, which protects the interest of our users.“
The IT ministry official said there were fears that data was being stolen even when the app has been uninstalled by a user. “There are complaints that even if a user has cleaned browsing data, the browser retains control of DNS (domain name server) of user's device,“ the official added.
UC Browser is part of Alibaba's mobile business group.
When contacted by TOI, a spokesperson for UC Web said it takes security and privacy very seriously , adding that “it is a common practice for IT companies to place servers all around the globe to provide better service to users... We will not do anything to breach trust of our users.“
“At UC Web, we work hard to comply with local regulations of each region we operate in... We have strong measures in place to encrypt the data while we transmit it,“ the spokesperson said, adding that the company is yet to get any notice or intimation from the government on the matter.
The spokesperson, however, defended the decision to collect user data: “It is also a standard industry practice to collect user information and data in necessary scenarios to provide users with localised services. We take necessary authorization from users to collect this data. Our systems are protected by an end-user licensing agreement, which protects the interest of our users.“The IT ministry official said there were fears that data was being stolen even when the app has been uninstalled by a user. “There are complaints that even if a user has cleaned browsing data, the browser retains control of DNS (domain name server) of user's device,“ the official added.
UC Browser is part of Alibaba's mobile business group.