Concerns Rise Over Government's Sanchar Saathi App Mandate

Government Mandates Cyber Security App on Smartphones

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified on Wednesday that the newly mandated cyber security application, Sanchar Saathi, cannot be utilized for surveillance purposes. He emphasized that the app is designed to safeguard users from cyber fraud.

On Friday, the Union government instructed smartphone manufacturers to ensure that the Sanchar Saathi app is pre-installed on all new devices. Additionally, existing devices must receive the app through a software update within three months.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Communications, users will not have the option to disable the app. This directive has raised concerns among opposition leaders and technology policy experts, who argue that it could lead to increased surveillance without adequate protections.

In response to these concerns, Scindia had previously stated that users would have the ability to delete the app, a claim that the Internet Freedom Foundation later disputed, citing Paragraph 7(b) of the order which states that the app cannot be disabled or restricted.

During a session in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Deepender Hooda questioned the minister's assurances, highlighting that even if the app is disabled, users may remain unaware of whether all its features are inactive. He raised alarms about potential violations of privacy rights and the possibility of surveillance.

The Internet Freedom Foundation described the November 28 directive as a troubling expansion of governmental control over personal digital devices. They argued that the inability to disable the app effectively turns smartphones into tools for state-mandated software that users cannot refuse or manage.

Furthermore, the organization warned that the vague nature of the directive could allow the app to be repurposed for more intrusive functions, such as monitoring VPN usage or scanning SMS logs under the guise of fraud detection.