Centre removes apps linked to e-rickshaw shutdowns, asks app stores to tighten checks

The Indian government has decided to remove two mobile apps that allegedly interfered with the functioning of e-rickshaws across the country. As per a new ANI report, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan on Friday said that the apps had already been taken down from app stores. He also said that app stores must exercise greater due diligence to prevent such potentially harmful apps from reaching users.

"There are a couple of apps which came up to our notice yesterday. Both of them have been taken down from the app stores," Krishnan said.

"The idea is that this is due care that the app stores have to exercise and we will take it up with the app stores to see that possibly damaging apps do not come up," he added.

What is the e-rickshaw controversy?

Over the past few days, several e-rickshaw drivers had reportedly complained of sudden stoppages and operational disruptions that were allegedly triggered using these applications. The apps were reportedly being misused to prank or interfere with the functioning of e-rickshaws, raising safety concerns for both drivers and passengers.

Notably, e-rickshaws are a major part of the public transport system in most Indian cities, where they are leveraged for last-mile connectivity.

The e-rickshaw fiasco has also taken social media by storm over the last few days, with pranksters posting videos of switching off the vehicles mid-journey using these apps.

In one such viral video, a distressed e-rickshaw driver complained about hours of deadlock and the lost opportunity to earn after miscreants disabled his vehicle using mobile apps. The driver, who rented the vehicle, said that it was his only source of income, helping him cover its rental cost and household expenses.

Speaking about the apps, Chairman of the International Commission on Cyber Security Law, Pawan Duggal, told ANI, “Today an e-rickshaw is not just an e-rickshaw, it's a computer system and therefore, if it's operating in the digital format it's got some memory functions... I am very clear this is not a game this is an offense under section 66 read with section 43 of the Information Technology Act 2000 because this is an activity that's done dishonestly or fraudulently where people enter into the computer system of its e-rickshaw without the consent or the knowledge of the owner and that is punishable with 3 years imprisonment and a fine worth ₹5 lakh...”