"The Communications Ministry said in a Wednesday statement that the "[g]overnment has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers." "The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world," the statement said, adding that it was dropping the directive because the app was becoming very popular anyway, with 600,000 downloads of the app, called Sanchar Saathi ("communication partner"), since Tuesday."
"The Indian government on Wednesday scrapped a recent directive to smartphone makers to install a non-removable cybersecurity app developed at its behest on new devices before purchase. Reports of the order given to phone manufacturers on November 28 had aroused protests from opposition parties and privacy advocates. Sources also indicated that major phone manufacturers Apple and Samsung were planning to circumvent the directive."
"Randeep Singh Surjewala of the Congress party said the app "could be a possible kill switch that can turn every cell phone into a brick, which the government could use against journalists, opposition leaders, and dissidents, if it so desires." Surjewala also warned against the risk of hacking, which could "expose sensitive information, including passwords, bank account numbers and personal data.""
The government cancelled an order requiring smartphone makers to pre-install a non-removable cybersecurity app called Sanchar Saathi on new devices. Communications Ministry officials said pre-installation will not be mandatory and described the app as secure and intended to protect citizens from cyber threats, noting about 600,000 downloads since Tuesday. Ministers defended the app as a tool to track and block stolen phones but did not fully address concerns about non-deletability. Opposition lawmakers warned the app could act as a "kill switch" and risk exposing sensitive data if hacked. Reports indicated Apple and Samsung planned to bypass the directive.
Read at www.dw.com
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