India mandates pre-installation of government cyber safety app on all smartphones
NEW DELHI– India’s telecom ministry has ordered smartphone makers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns over data privacy and user consent in one of the world’s largest cellphone markets.
The Communications Ministry’s order issued on Monday asked smartphone makers to pre-install the government app ‘Sanchar Saathi’ on all new devices within 90 days and prevent users from deleting it. The order also requires manufacturers to roll out the app to older models via a software update, extending the mandate beyond commercially available phones.
The ministry said the app, available to India’s 1.2 billion smartphone users, was essential to “curb misuse of telecom resources for cyber fraud and ensure telecom cybersecurity”. But privacy advocates say the order is an effort to erode user privacy and consent.
“This is the beginning. This is the government testing the waters,” said Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy expert and founder of technology site MediaNama. “Once a government app is forcibly pre-installed on our devices, what stops them from offering future apps that could be used for surveillance? »
Amid growing criticism, India’s Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Tuesday called the app a “voluntary and democratic system” and said users can choose to activate it and “easily delete it from their phone at any time.”
Scindia did not clarify Monday’s directive asking smartphone makers to ensure that “app functionalities are not disabled or restricted.”
The ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app, launched in January, was designed to allow users to block and track lost or stolen phones, as well as identify and close fraudulent mobile connections. Since its launch, it has generated more than 5 million downloads and helped recover more than 700,000 lost devices, according to government data.
Pahwa said the main concern is that the app’s role could eventually expand, giving authorities greater ability to “access device status.” He said the order also removed user consent as a choice.
“Phones are our personal spaces. We have the choice to have what we want on them. Here the government is taking away that choice,” he said.
The order is also expected to face resistance from smartphone makers, like Apple, whose internal policies prohibit the pre-installation of third-party apps on its devices, including those developed by governments.
It also comes as several governments take similar measures.
In Russia, authorities recently promoted the MAX messaging service, which must be pre-installed on all smartphones. Critics say the platform functions as a surveillance tool, noting that MAX openly states that it will provide user data to officials upon request.
