VLC Media Player returns to India as MeitY lifts ban on VideoLAN website

The VideoLAN website was blocked by MeitY for communicating with servers of a previously banned app, Onmyoji Arena

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has lifted the ban it imposed on the VideoLAN website, which allows users to download the popular media-streaming player called the VLC Media Player. This comes about nine months after MeitY made the first announcement of blocking the website.

"We have news! VLC Media Player is back!", VideoLAN announcement on Twitter.

The ministry sent a letter to VideoLAN on Monday stating that it has decided to lift the ban, as reported by the Indian Express (IE).

In October, MeitY sent a letter to VideoLAN stating the reasons for the ban. It said that the primary reason to block the website was that VideoLAN was communicating with servers of a previously banned app, Onmyoji Arena. Onmyoji was banned in India for allegedly transferring user data to a "hostile country".

It further said that the ministry uses "open source threat intelligence reports" for its findings. According to the ministry, VLC Media Player was used by a China-backed hacking group called ‘Cicada’ for carrying out cyber attacks.

In reply to the letter, VideoLAN sent a detailed response to MeitY, according to IE. In this, the digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation assisted the website.  The response explained the issues with MeitY's concerns.

VideoLAN also denied the claims of transferring data to a "hostile country". It further added that the ministry provided no details about the allegations of the use of the software by Chinese hackers.  

After the ban was lifted, VideoLAN's announcement said that VLC Media Player has nearly 80 million Indian users and "by blocking the primary avenue for authentic downloads and updates, the ban left us all considerably less secure on the internet than we were before."