Government withdraws mandatory pre-installation of 'Sanchar Saathi' app on smartphones

The central government on Wednesday withdrew its order that mandated the pre-installation of the official 'Sanchar Saathi' portal app on all new smartphones sold in the country to prevent cyber fraud. A new statement issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that in the last 24 hours alone, over 6 lakh users have voluntarily downloaded the app from the Google Play Store and App Store. In view of this, the government felt that the awareness campaign was successful and there was no longer a need for mandatory pre-installation.

App Usage is Entirely Voluntary

The government has clearly stated that the pre-installation directive was issued only to "expedite the adoption process" and not to make it mandatory. The statement read, "The use of the app will remain entirely voluntary. Citizens' privacy and data security will be given the highest priority."

Why Was There Opposition?

As soon as the order was issued, various opposition parties including Congress, AAP, TMC, digital rights organisations (Internet Freedom Foundation, etc.), and social activists termed it an "attack on privacy".

What Was the Opposition's Stance?

Forcibly installing any government app on a phone is a violation of the right to privacy (Article 21). The app could lead to unnecessary surveillance of citizens. The Pegasus spyware scandal of 2021 was recalled. According to sources, many big smartphone companies, including Apple and Samsung, were also uncomfortable with this rule and were preparing to challenge it internationally.