- India issued an order to pre-install a state-owned app on all smartphones
- The move has attracted backlash over privacy concerns
- The government said it is a way to stop cybercrime and hacking
India’s telecom ministry is forcing smartphone carriers to install a state-owned security app, drawing strong criticism over privacy concerns.
The November 28 directive, first reported by Pakinomist, requires smartphone makers to pre-load all new devices with the Sanchar Saathi app, while existing phones must download the application via a software update. Crucially, users will not be able to delete the software from their phone.
The Indian government said the move is meant to tackle the recent rise in cybercrime and hacking incidents.
While Apple, Google, Samsung and other phone makers have so far remained silent, digital rights groups are “deeply concerned” about the requirement, which they believe could put people’s rights at risk.
Although the full text of the order is still not available, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) claims that such an order represents “a sharp and deeply troubling” 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 may be repurposed for client-side scanning for ‘banned’ applications, flags VPN usage, correlate SIM activity or trawl SMS logs in the name of fraud detection,” the civil society organization wrote in a statement.
We’ve reached out to Apple and Google for comment and will update the page as soon as we hear back.
What is the Sanchar Saathi app and why it can be bad for privacy
Citizens can use the app to report fraud in real time, enabling authorities to track and respond to cybercrime more effectively.
While the application may prove useful, experts are critical of ignoring user choice. As the IFF claims: “This converts every smartphone sold in India into a vessel for state-mandated software that the user cannot meaningfully reject, control or remove.”
IFF’s Statement on Sanchar Saathi App Pre-Installation Directive The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), specifically its AI & Digital Intelligence Unit (AI & DIU) on 21 November 2024 has under the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024 issued a…2 December 2025
IFF’s comments echo concerns raised by technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary, who told Pakinomist: “The government is effectively removing 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 and effectively turn it into a surveillance tool, which would compromise the privacy of even those using one of the best VPN services.
As IFF notes, “Nothing in the order limits these possibilities.”
The IFF has now filed a complaint with India’s telecommunications body and says it will continue to fight “until it is lifted.” It now remains to be seen whether Apple and Google will also follow suit in challenging the order.
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