Government Makes ‘Sanchar Saathi’ App Mandatory on All New Smartphones

The Ministry of Telecommunications has instructed smartphone manufacturers to compulsorily preload the government cybersecurity app "Sanchar Sathi" on all new mobile phones launched within the next 90 days. It also needs to make sure users are unable to delete the app from their phones. The Ministry has also called for installing the app on existing phones through a software update.

The government says that with the help of 'Sanchar Saathi', more than seven lakh lost or stolen mobile phones have been traced since January, out of which about 50 thousand phones were recovered in the month of October alone. According to the ministry, cyber risks associated with duplicate or fake IMEI numbers pose a "serious threat" to the country's telecommunications system, leading to a surge in fraud, network abuse, and cybercrimes. Privacy concerns have been raised by privacy advocacy organizations and tech companies. Previously, companies like Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi had objected to a government anti-spam app.

Digital rights expert Mishi Chaudhary said the government's move bypasses user consent, which is worrying. Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak suggested that instead of mandating the app's pre-installation, the government should encourage users to adopt it to strike a balance between privacy and security.