PUBG Mobile ban: Are VPNs legal in the game?

On 2nd September 2020, the Government of India banned 118 mobile applications in a rather shocking move, which included two of the most famous battle royale games in India, PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite. The ban came as a bolt from the blue for PUBG Mobile players, who are now wondering whether VPN is allowed in the game.

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PUBG Mobile ban: What are VPNs?

VPNs or Virtual Private Networks mask your IP address and change the location of your device. In simple terms, they let you spoof your location of internet access.

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Is it safe/legal to use VPN?

When the question related to the legality behind VPNs was asked to the moderator of the official PUBG Mobile India discord server, his answer was:

Response of discord moderator

"Be advised that VPN usage is not recommended and that we lack additional public information on the matter. Further inquiries in this regard can be redirected to the customer service."

However, in an earlier incident, when the same question was asked to a Reddit moderator, 'gotfondue', he responded:

'gotfondue' was a moderator of PUBG Mobile subreddit earlier.

"Tencent's Official Response: The use of a VPN is not a violation of the TOS. However, we recommend NEVER to play with a VPN as it might trigger the use of a third party application ban. So this ends the discussion if you will get banned or not from using a VPN."

Several users also stated that they were banned from the game for using a VPN.

When the government decided to ban PUBG Mobile, they released an Official Press Release. A part of it read:

"This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure the safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace."

Moreover, it was also stated that these apps were banned because they were "prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the Defence of India, Security of State, and Public Order."