In a notable decision, India's telecoms authority has privately directed mobile phone makers to preload all new devices with a national cybersecurity app that must remain installed. This order, which was revealed, is likely to alarm leading technology firms like Apple and raise concerns among privacy advocates.
To combat a growing wave of online fraud and hacking, India is joining governments worldwide. This move echoes recent rules enacted in countries like Russia, which are designed to curb the use of lost phones for illicit activities and push government-developed applications.
The new directive affects key mobile phone brands active in the Indian market. This encompasses Apple, which has previously locked horns with the telecom authority over similar applications, as well as leaders like Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
An directive dated 28 November provides phone companies a three-month window to ensure that the official Sanchar Saathi application is included on all new handsets. A key stipulation is that users will not be able to remove the software.
For handsets currently in the distribution network, manufacturers are instructed to push the application via software updates. It is important that this directive was privately circulated and was sent in confidence to specific firms.
However, legal specialists have flagged significant worries regarding this decision. A legal expert focusing in technology issues commented that India's action is a reason to worry.
“The government effectively removes user consent as a meaningful choice,” said Mishi Choudhary, an advocate working on digital advocacy issues.
Digital rights groups had also questioned a comparable requirement by Russia in August for a state-backed communication app to be pre-installed on phones.
India, among the world's biggest telephone markets, boasts over 1.2 billion subscribers. Government data indicate that the cybersecurity application, introduced in January, has already helped locating more than 700,000 stolen phones, with around 50,000 recovered in October alone.
The government argues that the software is essential to combat the “significant endangerment” of mobile network cybersecurity from cloned or tampered IMEI numbers, which facilitate illicit activities and network abuse.
Apple's iOS powers an estimated 4.5% of the 735 million mobile phones in India, with the vast majority using Android, according to industry analysis. While Apple includes its own proprietary applications on its devices, its internal guidelines reportedly ban the inclusion of any third-party application before the purchase of a smartphone.
“Apple has traditionally refused these kinds of mandates from governments,” said Tarun Pathak, a analyst at Counterpoint.
“It’s expected to seek a negotiated solution: instead of a mandatory pre-install, they might negotiate and propose an alternative to prompt users towards downloading the application.”
Queries for response from Apple, Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi were unresponded. India’s telecommunications ministry also did not respond.
The IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a 14- to 17-digit number assigned to each mobile device. It is most commonly used by carriers to disable cellular access for phones reported as lost.
The government application is chiefly created to help users track and locate missing phones across all mobile carriers, using a central database. It also enables them to spot, and block, unauthorised mobile connections.
With over 5 million downloads since its release, the app has reportedly been used to disable over 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones. Additionally, more than 30 million illegal connections have also been disconnected through its use.
The government claims that the app helps preventing digital threats and helps in the locating and blocking of lost or stolen phones, thereby aiding police in recovering devices and keeping counterfeits out of the black market.
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