The Indian government has canceled a decision that required all new smartphones entering India and even existing phones to mandatorily install a government app called 'Sanchar Sathi' within 90 days.
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The app, which was set to be implemented in a way that would make it impossible to uninstall in order to prevent cybersecurity and smartphone misuse, has been postponed after opposition parties, experts, and even phone companies expressed strong objections, according to Indian media.
The protest began after it was seen that the app, which was initially promoted to prevent phone theft and reduce misuse, could access users' phone calls, messages and other personal details. The Indian government had instructed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all phones entering India. However, Apple and Samsung have consistently refused to pre-install the app on their devices, according to the BBC.
The Indian government has said that the pre-installation is not mandatory, saying that the app is "increasingly acceptable", meaning that many are downloading it automatically. So far, 14 million users have downloaded the app, 2,000 cases of misuse are being reported daily, and 600,000 new users have joined the app on Tuesday alone, the BBC wrote, citing the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that allegations that the app is being used for surveillance on users are not true.
The Indian government was preparing to make the app, which was released in 2023, mandatory on phones. According to the government, incidents of duplicating or spoofing mobile phones are becoming a big challenge and the app is needed to reduce it. Last week, the Department of Telecommunications issued a notice saying that users would be logged out of WhatsApp and other messaging platforms every 6 hours.
In Nepal too, the Telecommunications Authority had tried to implement the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) to make the import, registration and use of mobile phones systematic and secure. However, the system has been stalled due to corruption in the equipment procurement process and the implementation of the technology was deemed to be very old. Two former chairmen of the authority, including high-ranking officials, have been found guilty of corruption. The authority leadership has been silent about the current status of this system.
