In a dramatic turn of events, the Indian government has backtracked on its plan to mandate a state-owned cybersecurity app on smartphones after a wave of backlash over privacy concerns. Sanchar Saathi, intended to help block fraud, track stolen phones, and curb telecom misuse, was to be silently pre-installed on every new phone sold in India. The directive, issued on November 28 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), gave phone makers 90 days to ship devices with the app preinstalled, and even to push it to older phones via updates.
Under that order, users would not have been able to delete or disable the app, a move the government defended as necessary to end rampant fraud and to counter misuse of devices with fake IMEI numbers. According to DoT data, since its May 2023 launch, Sanchar Saathi has helped track or block millions of suspicious or stolen devices. But the announcement triggered an uproar. Privacy advocates, opposition politicians, and major tech companies, including Apple, warned that such a mandate would essentially turn every smartphone into a surveillance device. Some called it a “back-door for the state” into people’s personal data, a serious breach of consent and digital autonomy.
Under mounting pressure, the government reversed course on December 3. The mandate was quietly withdrawn, with the ministry stating that pre-installation will no longer be compulsory, making the app optional. The government justified the decision by noting that the app was already seeing widespread voluntary uptake.
The episode has reignited a broader debate on digital rights in India: can a citizen’s security be ensured without undermining personal freedom and privacy? As the dust settles, critics warn that this may not be the end, but rather, a temporary pause in what could become a recurring power struggle over how much control the state exerts over our devices.
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