India has withdrawn an order that would have required smartphone makers to preload its Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on new phones, following public criticism and privacy concerns.
The directive, approved last week and made public on Monday, would have given manufacturers 90 days to install the app, which could not be “disabled or restricted.”
The government said the move was aimed at verifying the authenticity of the phones, but cybersecurity experts said it infringed on citizens’ privacy.
The decision to remove the mandate came as the app gained “increasing acceptance,” with 14 million users reporting 2,000 cases of fraud daily. There were 600,000 new users registered on Tuesday alone, a tenfold increase, according to India’s Ministry of Telecommunications.
Tech companies including Apple and Samsung opposed the order, arguing that it was issued without prior consultation and conflicted with user privacy standards, sources told the BBC.
“Spying is not possible nor will it happen with the Sanchar Saathi security app,” said India’s Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, addressing concerns about possible surveillance.
Digital advocacy groups welcomed the rollback but urged caution. “This is a welcome development, but we are still waiting for the full text of the legal order that should accompany this announcement, including revised instructions under the 2024 Cybersecurity Rules,” the Internet Freedom Foundation said in X. “For now, we should treat this as cautious optimism, not a closure, until formal legal direction is published and independently confirmed.”
The government’s move affects all smartphone users in India, and the decision comes after widespread debate over privacy, cybersecurity and the role of state-mandated apps.
(BBC News)
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