India Backs Off Mandatory ‘Cyber Safety’ App After Surveillance Backlash therecord.media/india-dro…
India has reversed plans to require smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-backed “cyber safety” application on all new devices, following significant criticism related to surveillance and privacy concerns.
The Communications Ministry confirmed that Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and other vendors will no longer be mandated to load the Sanchar Saathi app onto new phones. The ministry cited the “increasing acceptance” of the tool, noting that it has already been downloaded by 14 million users, including six hundred thousand new registrations on Tuesday alone.
Officials stated that the mandate was originally intended to accelerate adoption and make the app more accessible to less informed users.
The reversal comes less than a week after the government issued an order requiring the app to be installed — and made undeletable — on all new handsets within ninety days, a move that drew strong objections from privacy advocates concerned about expanded access to hundreds of millions of devices.
