India withdraws mandate to preload cybersecurity app on smartphones after outcry

• The decision marks a rare policy reversal for the Modi government.
• Congress and tech companies are questioning the legality of the move.
• The Indian government says it is backing down because of the app’s popularity.
  

India’s government on Wednesday rescinded an order for smartphone makers to preload a government cybersecurity app on all new devices after an outcry from politicians, privacy advocates and global tech companies over surveillance fears.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had privately told companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi on November 28 to pre-load new phones with an undeletable app called Sanchar Saathi within 90 days. Reuters was the first to report on Monday.

“The government has decided not to make pre-installation mandatory for mobile phone manufacturers,” India’s communications ministry said in a press statement on Wednesday.

The move comes after opposition parties protested the issue, while newspaper editors joined privacy advocates in denouncing the move.

The government also found itself at odds with phone makers, as Apple and Samsung had plans not to comply with the directive, sources said.

Just a day earlier, government ministers defended the plan, saying the app only helps track and block stolen phones and prevent them from being misused.

“The app is safe and is purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world,” the government said in a statement on Wednesday, saying it was backing down because the app was gaining popularity.

Data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower showed a 13% jump in daily downloads to 78,000 on Monday.

Political protests, privacy concerns

But the U-turn will be embarrassing for the Modi government and follows a reversal last year of the laptop import licensing policy after lobbying by US officials, which would have required companies to obtain licenses for shipments.

Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a notice to parliament that the government needs to clarify the legal basis for “mandating a non-removable app” and called for a debate on privacy and security risks.

“The serious, serious and real concern is also that such a mandatorily installed app may have a backdoor, thereby completely compromising the user’s data and privacy,” he added.

Free speech rights group the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) welcomed Wednesday’s move but said it was awaiting a legal order explaining the decision.

Modi’s plan had little precedent, according to industry sources. Russia may be the only other known example. Moscow in August ordered all cellphones and tablets to be preinstalled with a state-run messaging app called MAX, a rival to WhatsApp that critics say could be used to track users.

Modi has faced criticism over privacy issues in the past. In 2020, his government came under fire for a mandatory Covid-19 contact tracing app for office workers to use. That measure was later reduced to a request when privacy advocates protested.