New Delhi: The government withdrew its order requiring smartphone makers to preload the Sanchar Saathi application after strong objections from industry groups and privacy advocates. The Ministry of Communications said the app will remain voluntary. The change followed the directive issued on November twenty eight that instructed manufacturers to place the app on all new devices and add it through software updates on older phones.
The earlier order said users would not be able to disable the app’s functions. This raised concerns since the app records reports of fraudulent calls, messages and stolen phones. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Parliament that the government was open to changing the directive. He also said snooping is not possible through the app.
Smartphone makers raised operational and privacy concerns. Industry sources said companies have no global precedent of preloading state owned applications on their devices. Customising iOS and Android for India would create added work and security risks. Reports indicated that Apple and Google were preparing to oppose the order due to these challenges.
A senior government official said the clause on disabling functions was meant only to prevent manufacturers from installing a non functional version of the app. The official said users would still be free to delete it.
Civil society groups said mandatory preloading removes user choice and weakens consent. They warned about functional creeping where systems expand beyond their original purpose. The withdrawal of the directive eased these concerns.
