India is proposing another far-reaching security rule for smartphones
India is considering new security rules for smartphones that would require device makers to allow the government access to source code for “vulnerability analysis.” It would also require companies to notify the government of major software updates and security patches before they are deployed, according to .
It is the latest in a series of unprecedented proposals by the Indian government under the guise of security, as it plans to make a set of 83 security standards drafted legally binding in 2023 in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, with nearly 750 million smartphones.
Under the proposals, any source code revisions would be analyzed and potentially tested in designated laboratories in India. Major phone makers have reportedly warned the Indian government that such a move risks revealing confidential information.
The source code proposal comes with a series of additional recommendations such as restrictions on background permissions for apps and the ability to remove all pre-installed apps. Reuters also reports that the package would require periodic malware scanning and require phones to store system logs for at least 12 months, requirements that industry groups say would drain battery life, hit storage limits and slow the deployment of necessary security updates.
The National IT Ministry said Reuters he “refutes the claim” that he is offering manufacturers to hand over their source code. This is despite a review of internal government and industry documents as part of the reporting. Government officials and industry leaders are expected to meet on Tuesday for further discussions.
Last month, India saw a state-owned cybersecurity app come pre-installed on all smartphones in the country after intense backlash. Just two days later, smartphones would have been required to keep location services enabled at all times, with no way to turn them off.
