New Delhi, December 4: India on Wednesday withdrew a controversial order requiring smartphone makers to preload a government-owned cyber safety app, Sanchar Saathi, on all new devices, following intense criticism from privacy advocates and political opponents who warned it could enable state surveillance in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Sanchar Saathi, currently available on Apple and Android app stores, allows users to block and track lost or stolen phones using IMEI numbers, identify mobile connections registered in their name, report suspected scam calls and verify the authenticity of used devices. The government says the platform has helped block more than 4.2 million stolen phones and shut down over 30 million fraudulent mobile connections.
The telecom ministry’s Nov. 28 directive required all handset manufacturers to ensure the app was “visible, functional, and enabled” during device setup and that users would not be able to disable or restrict its functions. Companies were also instructed to push the app via software updates to phones already manufactured. Officials said the move was needed to counter the “serious endangerment” posed by IMEI tampering by criminals.
But the order triggered a swift political and public backlash. The opposition Congress Party demanded its rollback, calling the mandate unconstitutional, while digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation pledged to “fight this direction till it is rescinded.” Prime-time news debates and social media commentary warned of potential government overreach and data misuse.
In a rare reversal for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, the government withdrew the mandate on Wednesday.
The app’s privacy policy states that it does not automatically collect personal information without user consent. However, it requires broad permissions: on iPhones, access to cameras, photos and files; on Android devices, access to call logs, the ability to send messages for registration, manage phone calls to detect numbers on the device, and access to cameras and photos.
India argues that widespread IMEI cloning and a thriving market for used phones have hampered efforts to track stolen devices and prevent their resale. Apple, which accounts for a small share of India’s market compared to Android’s 95%, was concerned about privacy and security implications, Reuters reported earlier.
The Modi government says Sanchar Saathi has been downloaded more than 14 million times and remains an important tool in combating telecom-related fraud, even as its compulsory installation becomes voluntary once again.
