Sanchar Saathi app.
Credit: Indian Government's Department of Telecommunication website (screen-grab)
New Delhi: The government's cyber security and safety app Sanchar Saathi recorded a 10-fold jump in downloads on Tuesday, rising from a daily average of around 60,000 to nearly 6 lakh, DoT sources said on Wednesday.
The number of downloads jumped even as Opposition leaders and a section of industry experts criticised the Department of Telecom order to mandatorily pre-install the app on all mobile phones alleging that it is meant for "snooping" and violating privacy of citizens.
"There has been very good response to the Sanchar Saathi App from the public suddenly. The download on a single day jumped 10 times to around 6 lakh from an average of 60,000 a day," a DoT source, who did not wished to be named, told PTI.
According to official data, 1.5 crore people have already downloaded the app even before the order was issued.
The order dated November 28, mandates all mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app in all handsets to be sold in India as well as in existing devices through software update.
It mandates mobile phone companies to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted.
Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said users are free to delete the app if they don't want to use it.
DoT sources said the phrase "readily visible and accessible" and "functionalities are not disabled or restricted" is a direction to manufacturers, not a restriction on users.
"It simply means manufacturers must not hide, cripple or pre-install a non-functional version of the app and later claim compliance. Nowhere it has been mentioned in the above clause that the Sanchar Saathi App cannot be uninstalled by the end user. It is up to the citizen if he wants to enable and register Sanchar Saathi Mobile App or wants to uninstall," a source said.
DoT sources said the Sanchar Saathi app has limited access to phone data and that too only to extent citizens permit it in each "interaction of reporting fraud" through the permissions granted.
Like some other mobile apps, Sanchar Saathi seeks permission to "make & manage phone calls" to check the active SIM in the phone before starting the registration process, send SMS to complete user registration.
"This is a one-time SMS, similar to OTP verification processes used by banking apps, UPI applications, and communication platforms. The app does not use this for anything else that may be enabled by this permission," the source said.
DoT sources said the app needs access to camera to take pictures of the product, such as the IMEI number printed on the box, for checking genuineness of a handset, send captured screenshot of a fraud call or SMS as chosen by the user as evidence.
"The app is designed not to have any access to contacts, other apps, location, microphone, bluetooth, or any other private functionalities or data of the user that is specifically not permitted by the user in "every interaction of reporting fraud" of the user with the app.
"The app does not harvest any other data on its own based on permissions granted. Further, citizens have the choice to remove any permission any time or deregister any mobile number registered on the app and also to uninstall the App," the source said.
DoT sources said the app never accesses microphone, location, bluetooth, or the operating system.
"The Sanchar Saathi app has limited access to phone data and that too only to the extent citizens permit it in each 'interaction of reporting fraud'," the source said.
Amol Kulkarni, Director for Research at think tank CUTS International, said despite good intentions, the mandate to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app on mobile handsets without any prior public consultation raises key concerns regarding expectations from citizens to blindly trust the government without questioning.
Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India, Senior Partner, Sanjeev Kumar, said the government's rationale is rooted in a severe telecom security crisis.
"The primary stated goal is to verify genuine mobile handsets via their IMEI numbers, creating a national framework to crack down on spoofed or tampered devices -- a major entry point for cybercrime. The app features tools for reporting stolen phones, fraudulent communications, and suspicious connections," Kumar said.
He said the push for pre-installing Sanchar Saathi app has come against the backdrop of what authorities call "peak menace" of digital arrest scams, where criminals posing as officials of law enforcement agencies terrify victims into financial extortion.
"The issue has reached such a height that the Supreme Court recently took the extraordinary step of directing the CBI to investigate all such scams, overriding state consent -- a signal of its national urgency. The government positions Sanchar Saathi as a robust, frontline defense and complaint mechanism for vulnerable citizens, especially seniors targeted by these scams," Kumar said.