India mandates pre-installation of government cyber safety app on all smartphones

India’s telecoms ministry has directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns of data privacy and user consent.

NEW DELHI — India’s telecoms ministry has directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns about data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world.

The Ministry of Communications’ order issued Monday asked smartphone makers to pre-install the government’s Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices within 90 days and to prevent users from deleting it. The order also requires manufacturers to push the app onto older models through a software update, extending the mandate beyond phones available in the market.

The ministry said the app, which is available to India’s 1.2 billion smartphone users, was essential in “curbing misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds and ensuring telecom cyber security.” But privacy advocates say the order is an effort to erode user privacy and consent.

“This is the beginning. It is government testing the waters,” said Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy expert and founder of the tech site MediaNama. “Once a government app is forcibly pre-installed on our devices, what’s to stop them from pushing future apps that could be used for surveillance?”

New study shows taking a smartphone break improves overall health04:39Amid growing criticism, India’s telecom minister, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, on Tuesday called the app a “voluntary and democratic system” and said users can choose to activate it and “easily delete it from their phone at any time.”