Gaming firm Krafton says will protect any data being transferred to restricted IP addresses

Amid concerns around data of Indian players being allegedly sent to servers in China, South Korean gaming company Krafton on Tuesday said it will continue to closely monitor and protect any data being transferred to ''unexpected and restricted IP addresses'' prior to the official launch of its new Battlegrounds Mobile India game.

The statement comes against the backdrop of reports that Krafton's new Battlegrounds Mobile India is allegedly sending data of Indian players to servers in China.

Krafton had announced the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India, a successor to the popular mobile game PUBG that was blocked by the Indian government last year. The new game is undergoing an ''early access testing period'' in the country currently. ''With the hopes of convening with our fans in India soon in an official launch, Krafton has been tirelessly working on the early access test of Battlegrounds Mobile India to offer a distinct battle royale experience in a safe and secure environment.

''And with privacy, player data safety and protection being our top priority, Krafton is taking the concerns raised very seriously and has taken immediate, concrete actions to address this issue,'' it said in a statement.

It further stated that Krafton will ''continue to closely monitor and protect any data being transferred to unexpected and restricted IP addresses prior to the official launch''. The company said it is working to fully comply with the Indian laws and regulations as it heads towards the official launch of the game.

Krafton noted that like other global mobile games and apps, Battlegrounds Mobile India also uses third-party solutions only to enable certain game features. ''In the process of using these solutions, some game data was shared to third-parties.

''Battlegrounds Mobile India's privacy policy fully discloses that the app may transfer some user data, with users' consent to the privacy policy and choosing to migrate their accounts. No data has been shared in violation of the privacy policy,'' it said.

Battlegrounds Mobile India's privacy policy (that became effective June 17, 2021) states that user's personal information will be stored and processed on servers located in India and Singapore. ''However, we may transfer your data to other countries and/or regions to operate the game service and/or to meet legal requirements.

''The legal basis for such processing is compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject to or are legitimate interests, such as exercise or defense of legal claims,'' the policy reads.

The policy further states that in the event of transfer to another country or region, the company will take steps to ensure that the user's information receives the same level of protection as if it remained in India.

In September last year, the government blocked 118 mobile applications, including PUBG, terming them prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of the nation.

Following the ban, PUBG Corporation -- a subsidiary of Krafton -- had said China's Tencent Games would no longer be authorised to distribute the PUBG MOBILE franchise in India.

At that time, PUBG Corporation had said it would take on all publishing responsibilities within India. In November, PUBG Corporation said it was preparing to launch a new game for the Indian market. In May this year, Krafton announced that it will launch Battlegrounds Mobile India, a free-to-play game for mobile devices that would be available only in India.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)