The VLC media player website was reportedly shut down a few months ago, but users only now seem to realise the website is down.
VLC Media Player is one of the most popular media players in India. It is now reportedly banned in India. Users in India can no longer download and install the program’s executable file.
According to a tweet by Gagandeep Sapra, when people in India try to open the VLC media player website, they get the message, “The website has been blocked as per the order of Ministry of Electronics and Information technology under IT Act, 2000”.
Astonishingly, the Android app VLC Media Player is still available on the Google Play Store. For the time being, Android users can install the app via the Google Play Store. Moreover, there is no indication of how the restriction would affect the mobile version.
Reasons behind VLC getting banned
Ever since VLC was taken down, neither VLC Media Player nor the government has given a clear reason. Nonetheless, various reports say that the app is accused of being used for cyber attacks. Cicada, a China-backed hacking group was supposedly using this app to deliver malicious code.
3 reasons VLC users need not worry
It is true that VLC media player is banned in India. But here are 3 reasons why users have nothing to worry about.
Firstly, the mobile version is still available on both Android and iPhone app stores.
Secondly, if one is having the software on their PC, they can continue using it.
Lastly, despite getting banned, the application is working fine with Android TVs.
The ban went unnoticed due to no official statement. However, the step must have been taken for security reasons.
