Sanchar Saathi App No Longer Mandatory on Indian Handsets: Ministry Reverses Directive
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In a significant U-turn, the Indian communications ministry has scrapped its order requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on every new device sold in the country. The decision comes just days after the initial directive was issued, citing a massive surge in downloads. According to the ministry, Sanchar Saathi's growing popularity, with over 600,000 citizens registering for the app in just one day, has led to the reversal of the directive. The app, aimed at providing citizens with fraud-prevention tools, had initially been mandated to be pre-installed on all new handsets sold in India. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had assured the Lok Sabha that users could remove the app, but concerns over its potential use as a 'snooping' tool persisted. The government, however, maintains that the app does not access personal data and is solely focused on protecting citizens from cyber fraud. The move has been welcomed by mobile manufacturers, including Apple, Google, and Lava, who have expressed support for cybersecurity measures. Digital rights advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation has also hailed the decision as a 'welcome development', but has called for the full text of the revised legal direction to be published and independently confirmed. As of now, the government claims that 14 million users have downloaded the app, contributing to the detection of around 2,000 fraud incidents daily. With the directive no longer mandatory, it remains to be seen how the app's adoption will proceed in the coming days.
