The directive gives companies 90 days to ensure that the Sanchar Sathi app is pre-installed on new mobile phones.
According to reports, the Indian government has directed smartphone makers to pre-install a state-owned cyber security app on all new devices to combat online scams and other crimes.
The November 28 order – the existence of which was reported by the Reuters news agency and Indian media on Monday, three days after it was privately sent to manufacturers – gives companies 90 days to ensure that the app, Sanchar Saathi or “Sanchar Saathi”, is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with the condition that users cannot disable it.
The report said that as per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directive, phone companies need to push a software update to install the app on devices already in circulation.
The app, released in January, is currently available for download, with India’s 1.2 billion smartphone users having the option to install it.
The government says the app is necessary to tackle the “serious threat” to cyber security posed by duplicate or fake International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers – the code assigned to each device that is used to cut off network access for phones reported stolen.
According to government data, users have downloaded the app more than five million times since its launch, helping block more than 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones and more than 30 million fraudulent connections, Reuters reports.
According to statistics, in that time, the app has helped recover more than 700,000 lost phones.
Apple ‘likely to protest’
But the order is likely to face opposition from US tech giant Apple, which has previously clashed with India’s telecom regulator as well as privacy advocates over a government antispam mobile app, Reuters reported.
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told the news agency that Apple has internal guidelines against installing any third-party apps – including government-developed apps – before the device goes on sale.
Tarun Pathak, a research director at technology market research firm Counterpoint, told Reuters that Apple had previously rejected similar requests from governments.
“There’s potential to find a middle ground: Instead of mandatory pre-install, they can negotiate and ask for the option to prompt users to install the app,” Pathak said.
Mishi Chaudhary, a lawyer who works on internet advocacy issues, told the agency that the order is worrying, as it “effectively removes user consent as a meaningful option”.
There was no immediate comment from DoT on the reports.
The directive follows similar steps by recent Russian governments to crack down on the use of phones for fraud and the promotion of state-backed apps.
<a href