India’s government has backtracked on an order for all smartphones to be pre-installed with a state-owned security app after a mass outcry over privacy concerns and refusal by technology companies to comply.
The department of telecommunications confirmed it had revoked its previous order for all technology companies to mandatorily install the government’s Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on to every smartphone in India within 90 days.
Political outcry erupted over the order and several tech companies, including Apple and Google, made it clear they would not comply due to privacy concerns. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the government confirmed it had “decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers”.
It emphasised that the app, which allows users to block and track lost or stolen mobile phones and report fraudulent calls, was “secure and purely meant to help citizens” against “bad actors”.
The initial order, given quietly to tech companies last week, landed the government in hot water after internet privacy groups and the political opposition raised concerns that the app could be used as a mass surveillance tool.
Apple and Google anonymously briefed the media that tech companies would be pushing back against the order as the move raised privacy concerns for their operating systems and violated internal policies.
Outcry erupted in parliament on Wednesday, with opposition MPs accusing the government, led by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, of violating citizens’ basic right to privacy.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, from the opposition Indian National Congress party, said the app “could be a possible kill switch” that could turn “every cell phone into a brick, which the government could use against journalists, opposition leaders and dissidents, if it so desires”.
Parallels have been made with an order made by the Russian government in August for an app called Max to be installed on all smartphones, sparking fears it was a mass surveillance tool.
The communications minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, responded to criticism, saying the Sanchar Saathi app was voluntary and could be deleted, despite the initial order stating the opposite.
He said: “I can delete it like any other app, as every citizen has this right in a democracy. Snooping is not possible through the app, nor will it ever be.”
The decision by the government to revoke the order was celebrated by groups advocating for online rights and privacy. In a statement, the internet freedom foundation said: “For now, we should treat this as cautious optimism, not closure, until the formal legal direction is published and independently confirmed.”
