The fact that the game was sending and receiving data to and from China has led many to question the security of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). Several months after the fact: does BGMI still share user data with the Chinese government? Let’s find out.
Before we begin, here’s a short summary of the controversy that plagued the Indian version of PUBG Mobile.
How Battlegrounds Mobile Shared Data with China
Using a packet sniffer app revealed that Battlegrounds Mobile would ping a Tencent server in Beijing upon launching the game, as per a report by IGN India. More importantly, IGN discovered that BGMI communicated with a state-owned China Mobile Communications server, as well as a Hong Kong server run by Tencent, among others. According to one of IGN’s sources, the game would even notify Qcloud and Anticheatexpert servers, both related to the same Chinese tech conglomerate.
This is in stark contrast to what Krafton promised the Indian government earlier in the year. Namely, they would take steps to remove any connection to Tencent and China from PUBG Mobile, and aim for a clean re-launch on the Indian market.
Does BGMI Still Send Player Data to China?
Luckily, the controversy didn’t seem to last for long. Krafton quickly addressed these issues and removed any connection between the game and China. These claims were once again tested and confirmed true by IGN India, putting any user concerns to rest.
Krafton commented that it would continue to work closely with the Indian government to ensure they’re following all the latest regulations. This includes monitoring and preventing any user data from reaching “unexpected and restricted IP addresses.”
Does that mean Battlegrounds Mobile players should rest easy? Not necessarily. While Krafton may have cleaned things up “under the hood”, phishing scams and hackers are still a huge problem for the PUBG Mobile and BGMI communities. Here’s how to protect yourself.
How to Keep Your BGMI Account Secure
Follow these next few tips, and you’ll be way better prepared for potential hacking attempts than most players out there:
- Don’t share your account – it goes without saying, but sharing your account with even one friend or sibling basically doubles your chances of getting hacked.
- Create a strong password – use a password manager to keep track of all your logins; that way you don’t have to carry around an unwieldy notebook of account names and passwords.
- Use a separate email for your BGMI account – no need to worry about the security of your primary email if you get hacked. Free services like ProtonMail and Tutanota can provide a secure email without having to hand out any extra personal data.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) – whether you log in through Facebook, Twitter, or Google Play, 2FA is extra hoop hackers need to jump through to compromise your account. Link two or more socials to your account, and you got yourself a backup login in an emergency.
Separately, you need to think about your online security when you’re not playing at home. Free public Wi-Fi is cool and all, but it also attracts hordes of hackers looking to harvest data from unsuspecting victims. The best way to counter most threats on public Wi-Fi is using a Virtual Private Network or VPN.
Why a VPN Is Useful on Public Wi-Fi
The primary purpose of a VPN is to encrypt (or garble) your network data. Essentially, it hides your activity from hackers, your ISP, and anyone else trying to snoop on you online. As you might have guessed, that also keeps your BGMI account details safe. Say, in case of man-in-the-middle attacks, “Evil Twin” attacks, and other similar scenarios.
Aside from the security benefits of a VPN, you may also find them useful for getting around Wi-Fi restrictions. Public places like airports, schools, or offices tend to filter out traffic for non-essential services – and that includes online games. Well, using a VPN helps you get around such firewall rules and let you play at your leisure.
Remember to stick to your own smartphone, though. Installing third-party apps on company or school devices could lead to trouble. Probably not worth it just to get a few extra matches in on a break.
