The government is open to changing its order directing smartphone companies to mandatorily preload the state-owned Sanchar Saathi application depending on the feedback it receives on the directive, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Parliament Wednesday.
“…if we have to bring about a change in the order based on the feedback we receive, we are ready for it,” Scindia said in Parliament. Addressing concerns around surveillance, he added, “Neither is snooping possible, nor will it be done”.
The order, issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on November 28, directed smartphone manufacturers and importers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi applications on new phones, and also on old phones by means of a software update. The functions of the app can not be disabled or restricted, it said. Sanchar Saathi is a state-developed cybersecurity application and allows users to report fraudulent calls, messages, and stolen mobile phones.
The order has sparked concerns around privacy and potential surveillance, with stakeholders ranging from Opposition lawmakers to the civil society criticising the order in public, and some smartphone companies pushing back against it in private, and planning to formally flag their concerns with the government.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that smartphone makers Apple and Google — which own the two most popular operating systems iOS and Android, respectively — are planning to push back on the government directive, with concerns around privacy and system security weighing heavy on their minds.
Industry sources aware of the companies’ point of view said the phone-makers have no history or precedent of preloading state-owned applications to their devices anywhere in the world. The change poses operational challenges since it could require them to customise iOS and Android specifically for India.
On Tuesday, Scindia had clarified that the app was optional and users would be able to delete it. “Digital security for every citizen is our topmost priority. Sanchar Saathi is voluntary, transparent, and designed solely to protect India’s mobile consumers while advancing the nation’s cybersecurity. Users have complete freedom to activate, or delete the app at any time, ensuring safety without compromising privacy,” he said.
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The government’s order, however, required smartphone companies to ensure that the app’s functions are not “disabled” or “restricted”. Scindia did not comment on, or clarify, how the app could be deleted if its functions cannot be disabled or restricted.
A senior government official said the clause preventing disabling the app’s functions in the DoT directive means that “manufacturers must not hide, cripple or pre‑install a non-functional version of the app and later claim compliance”. “Nowhere it has been mentioned in the clause that the Sanchar Saathi App cannot be deleted by the end user,” the official said.
Civil society activists are raising alarm bells over the potential implications on people’s privacy by mandating the app, since preloading it defeats the principles of choice and consent, while leaving the potential for ‘functional creeping’ in the future. ‘Functional creeping’ refers to a gradual expansion of a system beyond its original purpose.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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