Subj : Experts "deeply concerned
To : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Wed Dec 03 2025 10:11 am
Experts "deeply concerned" by India's plan to force all smartphones to run
pre-installed security app
Date:
Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:40:55 +0000
Description:
Authorities said the state-owned Sanchar Saathi app comes as a way to halt
cybercrime, but digital rights experts fear for users' privacy and mission
creep. Here's all we know.
FULL STORY
India's telecoms ministry is forcing smartphone providers to install a
state-owned security app, attracting strong criticism on privacy grounds.
The November 28 directive, which was first reported by Reuters , requires
smartphone makers to preload all new devices with the Sanchar Saathi app,
while existing phones will have to download the application via a software
update. Crucially, users won't be able to delete the software from their
phone.
The Indian government said the move is intended to tackle the recent surge in
cybercrime and hacking incidents.
While Apple, Google, Samsung, and other phone-making firms have so far kept
quiet, digital rights groups are "deeply concerned" about the requirement,
which they believe could jeopardize people's rights.
Although the full text of the order is still unavailable, the Internet
Freedom Foundation (IFF) argues that such an order represents "a sharp and
deeply worrying" expansion of executive control over citizens' digital
devices.
"Today, the app may be framed as a benign IMEI checker. Tomorrow, through a
server-side update, it could be repurposed for client-side scanning for
'banned' applications, flag VPN usage, correlate SIM activity, or trawl SMS
logs in the name of fraud detection," the civil society organization wrote in
a statement .
What is the Sanchar Saathi app and why it could be bad for privacy
Indian tech publication MediaNama has reported that the Sanchar Saathi app
stems from an initiative from India's Department of Telecommunications and is
designed to help users protect their devices against malicious activities,
such as online fraud, theft, and other crimes.
Citizens can use the app to report scams in real-time, enabling authorities
to track and respond to cybercrime in a more effective way.
While the application may prove useful, experts are critical of the disregard
for user choice. As IFF argues: "This converts every smartphone sold in India
into a vessel for state mandated software that the user cannot meaningfully
refuse, control, or remove."
IFFs comments echo concerns raised by technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary, who
told Reuters: "The government effectively removes user consent as a
meaningful choice."
However, concerns extend beyond user choice. There is a real risk that
current or future governments could expand the app's scope, effectively
turning it into a surveillance tool, which would compromise privacy even for
those using one of the best VPN services.
As the IFF notes, "Nothing in the order constrains these possibilities."
The IFF has now filed a complaint with India's telecoms body and says it will
keep fighting "until it is rescinded." It now remains to be seen if the likes
of Apple and Google will also follow suit in challenging the order.
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/experts-deeply-concerned-by
-indias-plan-to-force-all-smartphones-to-run-pre-installed-security-app
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