Alibaba's UC Browser under govt scanner over data leaks

A senior IT ministry official said on Tuesday informed that  Alibaba’s UC Browser has come under the government’s scanner for alleged leak of mobile data of its Indian users and may be banned in the country if found guilty.

“There have been complaints against UC Browser that it sends mobile data of its users in India to server in China.  There are complaints that even if an user has uninstalled it or cleaned browsing data, the browser retains control of DNS of user’s device,” the officer who did not wish to be named told PTI.

The officer said if the allegations against the browser are established then it may be banned in the country.

When contacted, UC Web, which owns UC Browser, said that as on date it has not received any notice or intimation from the government regarding the enquiry.

“At UC Web, we take security and privacy very seriously and work hard to comply with local regulations of each region we operate in. It is common practice for IT companies to place servers all around the globe to provide better service to its users. We have strong measures in place to encrypt the data while we transmit it,” the China-based firm said.

Also Read | Panama Papers: All you need to know about biggest data leak in history

The company said that it is also standard industry practice to collect user information and data in necessary scenarios to provide users with localised services after taking necessary authorisation from users to collect the required data.

“Our systems are protected by an end-user licensing agreement which protect the interest of our users...We will not do anything to breach the trust of our users,” UC Web said.