🔗 Share this article

In a notable step, India's telecoms authority has confidentially asked smartphone manufacturers to include all new devices with a government-backed cybersecurity app that must remain installed. This directive, which has come to light, is likely to concern leading technology firms like Apple and prompt concerns among privacy advocates.

A Global Shift in Cybersecurity Policy

To combat a rising tide of digital scams and device misuse, India is joining regulators across the globe. This action echoes recent measures framed in nations like Russia, which seek to block the use of stolen phones for fraud and promote government-developed applications.

Which Companies Are Bound by the Directive?

The recent order affects leading smartphone brands active in the Indian market. Among them are Apple, which has in the past locked horns with the telecom authority over similar apps, as well as giants like Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi.

The Fine Print of the Official Mandate

An order dated 28 November provides phone manufacturers a three-month deadline to ensure that the official Sanchar Saathi app is included on all new mobile phones. A critical provision is that consumers are prevented from deleting the app.

For handsets currently in the retail pipeline, manufacturers are required to send the app via software updates. It is worth mentioning that this directive was not made public and was dispatched selectively to chosen manufacturers.

Privacy Worries Raised

However, legal experts have expressed major concerns regarding this decision. A lawyer specialising in tech matters said that India's action is a worrying development.

“The government practically removes user consent as a real choice,” stated Mishi Choudhary, an expert working on internet advocacy issues.

Privacy advocates had previously criticised a comparable mandate by Russia in August for a state-backed messenger called Max to be pre-installed on phones.

The Scale of the Domestic Smartphone Landscape

India, among the world's largest mobile markets, boasts more than 1.2 billion subscribers. Government figures reveal that the Sanchar Saathi app, introduced in January, has reportedly helped recovering more than 700,000 lost phones, with approximately 50,000 found in October by itself.

The government contends that the app is crucial to tackle the “significant endangerment” of telecom cybersecurity from cloned or tampered IMEI numbers, which are used for fraud and system misuse.

The Tech Giant's Likely Response

Apple's iOS powers an estimated 4.5% of the 735 million mobile phones in India, with the rest using Android, as per market research. While Apple includes its own first-party apps on its devices, its company rules reportedly forbid the inclusion of any government application before the purchase of a device.

“Apple has historically resisted these kinds of mandates from authorities,” noted Tarun Pathak, a research director at Counterpoint.

“It’s probable to pursue a negotiated solution: rather than a mandatory pre-install, they might discuss and propose an alternative to prompt users towards installing the app.”

Queries for response from Apple, Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi went unresponded. India’s telecommunications department also did not respond.

Understanding the IMEI and the App's Purpose

The IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a 14- to 17-digit number unique to each handset. It is most commonly used by carriers to disable cellular access for phones flagged as lost.

The government app is mainly designed to help users track and track lost or stolen smartphones across all mobile carriers, using a national database. It also allows them to detect, and terminate, fraudulent mobile connections.

Impressive Adoption and Results

With more than 5 million installs since its release, the app has already been used to disable over 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones. Additionally, more than 30 million fraudulent connections have also been terminated through its use.

The government asserts that the app helps preventing cyberthreats and assists in the locating and disabling of missing phones, thereby aiding police in recovering handsets and preventing cloned devices out of the black market.