Government revokes order on preloading Sanchar Saathi app

New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday revoked its direction to phone manufacturers to mandatorily pre-install state-run Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on all mobile phones amid widespread criticism from the Opposition and civil rights activists against the directive.

The government cited “increasing acceptance” of the contentious app to justify the U-turn. “Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, the government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” the Ministry of Communications said in a statement.

The ministry claimed the app recorded a 10-fold jump in downloads on Tuesday, rising from a daily average of around 60,000 to nearly six lakh.

“This is an affirmation of faith by citizens on this app for protecting themselves provided to them by the government,” it said.  

Through a directive dated November 28, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked phone manufacturers to mandatorily pre-install the app on all smartphones sold in the country.

The government had given manufacturers and importers 90 days to comply with the order.

The order was made public on Monday, hours after media reports about the directive sparked a political row. Opposition parties termed it a dictatorial move targeted to strangulate the voice of the people.

The government has claimed that the app is meant purely to protect citizens from bad actors in the cyber world.

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reiterated that the app cannot be used for surveillance of citizens and poses no threat to personal data.

“From the Sanchar Saathi app, snooping is neither possible nor will it ever be,” Scindia said in the Lok Sabha, categorically rejecting the Opposition’s allegations regarding surveillance and privacy concerns.

The minister said the objective of the government behind introduction of the app was to “empower” users, not intrude on their privacy.

“The government wants to give power in the hands of the people to help them protect themselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition continued to attack the government over the issue.

“Safety is an excuse, the target is privacy,” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.

He said the app would give authorities access to citizen’s data. “What Pegasus was to the VIPs of this country, Sanchar Saathi is to the common man,” said Khera, drawing a parallel between the Israeli spyware tool Pegasus and Sanchar Saathi.