Govt fiat to smartphone cos: Preload Sanchar Sathi app

New Delhi: The Union Telecom Ministry has privately asked all the smartphone manufacturers to preload Sanchar Sathi, a state-owned cybersecurity app.

According to a report, the directive can bring the government and Apple to a face-off as the tech giant typically is against such orders, and it had already locked horns with telecom regulators over the development of a state-owned anti-spam application.

Along with Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi are bound by the new order. The application, if preloaded, would not get deleted, claims report, citing a government order.

The government is pushing it as a method to tackle a recent surge of cybercrime and hacking in India. As part of tackling such cases, India is joining authorities worldwide, most recently in Russia, to frame rules blocking the use of stolen phones for fraud. 90-day deadline for compliance

The November 28 order provides 90 days to the smartphone manufacturers to ensure Sanchar Sathi is pre-installed in the new phones.

One of the world's largest telephone markets, India has over 1.2 billion subscribers of the application, and according to government figures, the app launched in January this year has helped recover more than 7,00,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone.

A lawyer specialising in technology matters called India's move a cause for concern "The government effectively removes user consent as a meaningful choice," said Mishi Choudhary, who works on internet advocacy issues. Privacy advocates have criticised a similar requirement by Russia in August for a state-backed messenger app called MAX to be pre-installed on phones.