Battlegrounds Mobile India Sending Data to Chinese Servers? Here is the Truth

Krafton recently came out with the early access of Battlegrounds Mobile India for all Android users. However,  a few days after the launch of the early access it was found that the game has been sending data to various Chinese servers, including one server that was owned by Tencent.

It is important to remember that the game was banned in India in 2020 because of data and privacy issues. The game made a comeback, making sure that the data will be safe now. However, as per a recent report from IGN India, the data of Indian players is being sent to Chinese servers located in Beijing. The game also has ties with the Tencent-owned Proxima Beta located in Hong Kong, as well as Microsoft Azure servers in the US, Mumbai, and Moscow.

IGN uncovered the game’s links to China by installing a data packet sniffer app on an Android device before playing a match of BGMI. The data sniffer app was set to log all the servers that the game communicates with during a match. Following this, the publication did a WHOIS search, which is a search engine for tracking the origin of an IP address, for the logged servers.

All these allegations put Battlegrounds Mobile India under scrutiny and the radar, but is it completely true. Is the game actually sending data to Chinese servers?

The Truth

After the news broke out, several YouTubers and content creators shared their thoughts about the whole issue. The screenshot shared by IGN shows that the phone is connected to VPN.

Guys Check This Upper Column, VPN Laga Ke Server Change Krke, China Ka IP Address Dikha Ke Game Ban Krwayege Ye Log.
Please Retweet This Asap. Sacchai Pta Lagna Chahiye Sabko. #HamaraDataSafeHai #bgmi #bgmiban pic.twitter.com/eolmxSlMx3

— Gaming Guru (@roastingguru) June 21, 2021

This means that the settings have been tweaked to send data to other servers. These servers are not authorized. However, there is nothing to worry about as when the device is not connected to VPN, the data does not go anywhere. Content creators also believe that the game has been under severe scrutiny since it was announced and that big names like IGN should not post stories like this without a complete fact check. Gaming Guru, a YouTuber, highlighted the fact that the device was connected to VPN and that it is an attempt to take the game down by proving that it still has some Chinese links.

Battlegrounds Mobile India has received a very warm welcome in the country and the player base will expand even further after the game is launched on the iOS platform. Allegations like these will keep coming, it is however important to know the full story before landing on any conclusion.