India’s government backtracked less than a week after sending a personal order to smartphone makers directing them to preload a state-backed app on all phones in the region. This reversal has happened after industry sources said reuters That Apple planned to refuse to comply with the order.
Sanchar Sathi is a security app operated by the Department of Telecommunications of India that includes features to track and block lost or stolen phones using IMEI. Anyone can already download it on the App Store or Google Play Store, but India’s government order requires phone makers to preload it on all phones in the region and prevents users from disabling it.
India’s communications ministry announced the change in a statement on Wednesday, but still said “[Sanchar Saathi] It is safe and its aim is to help the citizens from bad elements in the cyber world.
The statement does not address the protests and privacy concerns raised about the order making the app mandatory. Instead, it attributes the policy change to voluntary app downloads and says, “Given the growing acceptance of the communication partner, [the] The government has decided not to make pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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