India’s Digital Economy Faces Alarm: What If Google, X, Facebook Shut Down? Experts Call for ‘Plan B’

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, Indian tech leaders have raised serious concerns over the country’s growing dependence on American technology. Sridhar Vembu, founder of Zoho, warned that a sudden disruption in access to platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, X, and ChatGPT could severely impact India’s digital infrastructure. He has appealed for a 10-year “National Mission for Tech Resilience” to reduce dependency and strengthen domestic capabilities.

Vembu’s warning comes at a time when nations are increasingly leveraging their technological strengths as strategic tools. Just as China has used control over rare earth materials to assert global influence, reliance on U.S. tech giants poses similar vulnerabilities for India.

Industry Voices Raise Alarm
Businessman Harsh Goenka highlighted the issue on social media, stressing the risks of over-dependence on American tech companies like Meta, Google, and X. He questioned whether India is prepared for such a scenario, asking, “It’s a frightening thought, isn’t it? Think seriously about the consequences—and what our Plan B could be.”

Economic Stakes Are High
Experts estimate that a sudden shutdown of U.S.-based technology platforms could devastate India’s $200 billion digital economy, affecting over 500 million users. Advertising revenue alone could drop by up to 60%, according to NASSCOM 2025 projections.

Building Plan B: Domestic Alternatives
To mitigate these risks, experts suggest boosting homegrown solutions: Zoho and Nextcloud for cloud services, Arrtai for messaging, and open-source AI models like Bhashini. Analysts note that India built UPI in just five years, proving that achieving technological sovereignty in 18 months is feasible if there’s focused effort.

Recent geopolitical tensions have accelerated the urgency of reducing reliance on foreign technology. Dependence on external powers creates leverage for them to influence domestic affairs—a lesson witnessed in global dynamics with both the U.S. and China. This has intensified calls for local, sovereign digital solutions across India.