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    Chinese apps ban: Club Factory tells employees to desist from using social media irresponsibly

    Synopsis

    A similar email has also gone to thousands of Club Factory Indian vendors that sell on the e-commerce platform. Club Factory further said it is in compliance with India’s foreign investment laws and said it also adheres to the country’s data protection regulations.

    chinese-app-ban-APAP
    New Delhi: A day after India banned about five-dozen Chinese mobile applications in an apparent retaliation to the growing tensions at the Ladakh border, Hangzhou-based e-commerce company Club Factory has asked employees to desist from making irresponsible comments on the issue on social media.

    On Tuesday, the company's human resources department sent an email to its employees that the staff should “not succumb to rumours and neither we should make irresponsible comments,” according to an employee who has seen the communication.

    Club Factory further said it is in compliance with India’s foreign investment laws and said it also adheres to the country’s data protection regulations.

    The company’s email also highlighted that it has not laid off any employee in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Club Factory employs around 90 staff in India. On the other hand, Shein, another Chinese online fashion retailer that India ordered blocking, employs around 50 in the country. Both the e-commerce sites have been popular among Indian consumers and both have featured among the top ten most downloaded e-commerce apps in the country.

    “Club Factory strictly follows all rules and regulations of the region and maintains utmost standards of user data security and privacy. We comply with all data security norms and have not compromised with the security or privacy of any users,” a Club Factory spokesperson said in an email response. “Through our long-term presence, we have provided direct employment to hundreds of people in India and indirect jobs to third-party partners, including logistics and supply chain companies, warehouses, customer support agencies and more.”

    A similar email has also gone to thousands of Club Factory Indian vendors that sell on the e-commerce platform.

    Last year, Club Factory pivoted towards a marketplace model from its earlier avatar of selling imported Chinese products through its platform. Club Factory currently has 30,000 Indian vendors sell through its marketplace, the company said.

    On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese mobile applications, including top social media platforms such as Tik-Tok, Helo and WeChat, to counter the threat posed by these applications to the country’s “sovereignty and security.” ShareIT, UC browser and shopping app Club Factory are among the other prominent apps that have been blocked amid rising tensions between India and China following clashes at the border two weeks ago.


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    ( Originally published on Jun 30, 2020 )
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