Saturday, March 29, 2025
The central government has withdrawn its directive requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices. The decision came on Wednesday afternoon following intense opposition protests during the Winter Session of Parliament and rising concerns over user privacy.
A government statement issued on Wednesday said that the pre-installation order for phone companies was being revoked with immediate effect, as users themselves were downloading the app rapidly. According to officials, more than six lakh downloads were recorded in the past 24 hours alone.
The government clarified that the original mandate for pre-installation was intended to expand the reach of the cyber-security-oriented app quickly, ensuring that more people could benefit from its features.
However, given the sharp rise in voluntary downloads, the mandatory requirement was no longer considered necessary.
The controversy erupted when the Centre instructed all smartphone manufacturers—including global companies like Apple—to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on every new device sold in India. Reports suggested that some manufacturers were even considering challenging the order legally, as the directive also stated that the app could neither be removed nor easily disabled.
Opposition parties, digital rights activists, and civil society organisations strongly objected to the move. They argued that forcing a government app onto all devices amounted to a direct violation of citizens’ right to privacy.
“Snooping is neither possible nor will it ever happen,” Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the Lok Sabha while defending the Sanchar Saathi app.
