India Blocked Anti-Gambling Tool Gamban for Three Years Under Section 69A — No Reasons Disclosed

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has maintained a three-year block on Gamban, a UK-based application designed to help users self-exclude from gambling websites, without publicly explaining the grounds for the action.

Gamban, which offers software that blocks access to over 480,000 gambling websites and applications, operates in 197 countries with more than 55,000 active users. The company states it does not host gambling content or process any payments related to gambling. Since February 7, 2023, the app has been unavailable on both Google Play Store and Apple's App Store in India following a blocking order issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. In a letter to MeitY Secretary S Krishnan and the Designated Officer, Gamban described the blocking as "illegal and arbitrary" and requested immediate revocation. The April 2026 communication marks the fifth such appeal the company has sent to the ministry since 2023.

The prolonged restriction raises questions about the transparency and scope of India's website-blocking mechanism. Section 69A grants the government authority to block online content deemed a threat to sovereignty, integrity, defense, or public order, but the statute does not explicitly contemplate blocking tools that serve a protective function. Gamban's position suggests a fundamental misalignment: a service explicitly designed to limit gambling exposure has been treated as a target under the same legal framework used against hostile foreign applications. Without disclosed justification from MeitY, the precedent set by this case remains opaque, leaving other harm-reduction technologies in legal uncertainty.