New Delhi: India’s telecom ministry has ignited a fierce political and industry debate with a confidential November 28 directive mandating that all new smartphones be preloaded with the state-owned Sanchar Saathi app, aimed at bolstering cyber security amid rising scams and thefts.
The app, which tracks and blocks stolen devices using IMEI verification, must be non-deletable and pushed via updates to existing phones within 90 days. Targeting firms like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, the order seeks to safeguard India’s 1.2 billion telecom users from fraud and counterfeit devices—successes already credited with recovering thousands of lost phones and curbing millions of fake lines.
Yet, the move has triggered widespread concerns over privacy and potential surveillance. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party lawmakers decried it as a “snooping tool,” vowing parliamentary scrutiny and demanding a rollback. Privacy advocates echoed fears of unchecked government access to 735 million smartphones.
Apple (AAPL.O), powering 4.5% of the market, plans to resist, citing global policies against third-party preloads that compromise iOS security. Sources say the company will urge New Delhi for alternatives, like user prompts. Other Android makers are reviewing compliance, highlighting tensions between national security and user rights in the world’s second-largest smartphone market.