Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified that the Sanchar Saathi security app, which comes pre-installed on some mobile phones, is completely optional for users. He said there is no compulsion to keep it on the device.
“If you don’t want the Sanchar Saathi app, you can delete it. It is optional… It is our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Keeping it in their devices or not, is up to the user,” Scindia told IANS outside Parliament on Tuesday.
He added that the government’s intention is only to make the security tool available to people, and the decision to keep or remove it will remain with the consumer.
Government Defends Pre-Installation Amid Privacy Concerns
The clarification comes after the Centre’s decision to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new phones made or imported for India raised concerns about privacy. Many people viewed the move as a possible breach of user privacy.
Criticising the move, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called it a “violation of privacy and a step toward authoritarian governance”.
The government has defended the decision, saying the Sanchar Saathi app is meant to protect citizens from purchasing fake or non-genuine mobile devices.
According to the guidelines issued on November 28, phone makers and importers must ensure that the app is clearly visible and accessible when a user first sets up the device, and that none of its features are blocked or disabled.
For phones that are already manufactured and currently available in the market, companies have been asked to add the app through software updates.
The companies have to complete the implementation in 90 days and submit a report in 120 days.
Cybersecurity and SIM Binding Concerns
DoT is undertaking the Sanchar Saathi initiative for curbing the misuse of telecom resources for cyber fraud and ensuring telecom cybersecurity.
In a separate statement, the DoT said that it has observed that some of the app-based communication services that are utilising Indian mobile numbers for identification of their customers or users or for provisioning or delivery of services, allow users to consume their services without the availability of the underlying Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) within the device in which the app-based services are running.
Officials said this feature is being exploited to conduct cyber frauds, especially by people operating from outside India.
The problem of SIM binding in messaging apps and how it is being misused, has been flagged by several government bodies and an inter-ministerial group.
