- India issued an order to pre-install a public app on all smartphones
- The move sparked backlash due to privacy concerns.
- The government said it was a way to stop cybercrime and hacking.
India’s Telecom Ministry is requiring smartphone vendors to install a public safety app, drawing sharp criticism over privacy concerns.
The November 28 directive, first reported by PK Press Club, requires smartphone makers to preload all new devices with the Sanchar Saathi app, while existing phones will have to download the app through a software update. Above all, users will not be able to remove the software from their phone.
The Indian government said the move was aimed at combating the recent rise in cybercrime and hacking incidents.
While Apple, Google, Samsung and other phone makers have remained silent so far, digital rights groups are “deeply concerned” about the requirement, which they say could endanger people’s rights.
Although the full text of the order is still not available, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) says such an order represents “a stark and deeply disturbing expansion” of executive control over citizens’ digital devices.
“Today, the app can be presented as a harmless IMEI checker. Tomorrow, with a server-side update, it could be reused for client-side scanning of ‘banned’ apps,” he says. using a VPN, correlating SIM card activity, or sifting through SMS logs in the name of fraud detection,” the civil society organization wrote in a statement.
We’ve reached out to Apple and Google for comment and will update the page as soon as we receive a response.
What is Sanchar Saathi app and why it could harm privacy
Citizens can use the app to report scams in real time, allowing authorities to track and respond to cybercrime more effectively.
While the app may prove useful, experts criticize the disregard for user choice. As the IFF argues: “This turns every smartphone sold in India into a container for state-mandated software that the user cannot meaningfully opt out of, control, or remove.”
IFF Statement on Sanchar Saathi App Pre-Installation GuidelineThe Department of Telecommunications (DoT), particularly its Artificial and Digital Intelligence Unit (AI and DIU), has on November 21, 2024, issued under the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024, a…December 2, 2025
The IFF’s comments echo concerns raised by technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary, who told PK Press Club: “The government is effectively removing user consent as a meaningful choice.” »
However, concerns extend beyond user choice. There is a real risk that current or future governments will expand the scope of the app, effectively turning it into a surveillance tool, which would compromise privacy even for those using one of the best VPN services.
As the IFF notes, “nothing in the order restricts these possibilities.”
The IFF has now filed a complaint with India’s telecom body and says it will continue to fight “until it is overturned”. It now remains to be seen whether companies like Apple and Google will also follow suit in challenging this order.
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