"The Indian government is widening the scope of its anti-theft and cybersecurity initiative to cover both new and used smartphones, an effort aimed at curbing device theft and online fraud but a move that is also raising fresh privacy concerns. As part of the expansion, the Indian telecom ministry is requiring companies that buy or trade used phones to verify every device through a central database of IMEI numbers."
"Launched in 2023, the Sanchar Saathi portal allows users to block or trace lost and stolen phones. The system has blocked more than 4.2 million devices and traced 2.6 million more devices, per government data. The system expanded earlier this year with the release of a dedicated Sanchar Saathi app in January, which the government says helped recover more than 700,000 phones, including 50,000 in October alone."
India is expanding an anti-theft and cybersecurity program to include both new and used smartphones, obliging used-phone buyers and traders to verify every device against a central IMEI database and requiring manufacturers to preinstall and push the Sanchar Saathi app onto handsets. Sanchar Saathi allows blocking and tracing of lost or stolen phones, has blocked over 4.2 million devices and traced 2.6 million, and the app reportedly helped recover more than 700,000 phones. The app has nearly 15 million downloads and over three million monthly users. The mandate has drawn privacy criticism while the government cites rising cybercrime such as IMEI duplication and device cloning.
Read at TechCrunch
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