The Indian government has abruptly withdrawn a controversial mandate requiring smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the state-developed Sanchar Saathi application on all new devices. The directive, initially issued last week but publicly disclosed on Monday, had triggered significant privacy concerns and industry resistance.
The now-revoked order stipulated that companies like Apple and Samsung would have 90 days to embed the cyber safety application into new handsets in a manner that prevented users from disabling or restricting its functionality. While authorities defended the measure as essential for verifying handset authenticity and combating fraud, digital rights advocates and cybersecurity experts condemned it as a potential surveillance tool that violated privacy norms.
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia attempted to allay surveillance fears, asserting that “snooping is neither possible nor will it happen with the Sanchar Saathi safety app.” The government cited the app’s “increasing acceptance” as justification for the reversal, noting substantial organic adoption with 14 million downloads to date and 600,000 new registrations recorded on Tuesday alone.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, while welcoming the withdrawal, cautioned that “this should be treated as cautious optimism, not closure” until formal legal documentation is published and independently verified. Industry sources revealed that major smartphone manufacturers had resisted the directive due to concerns about its implementation without prior consultation and potential infringement on user privacy standards.