In a significant move, India's telecoms department has discreetly directed mobile phone makers to include all new phones with a national cybersecurity tool that cannot be deleted. This directive, which has come to light, is likely to concern major technology companies like Apple and prompt questions among digital rights groups.
To combat a rising tide of online fraud and hacking, India is joining authorities internationally. This action echoes comparable measures introduced in nations like Russia, which seek to prevent the use of lost phones for fraud and encourage official applications.
The latest directive affects leading smartphone makers active in the Indian market. These include Apple, a company that has in the past clashed with regulators over similar apps, as well as leaders like Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
An order dated 28 November gives smartphone companies a three-month window to ensure that the government's "Messenger Friend" app is included on all new handsets. A key provision is that owners will not be able to remove the app.
For phones already in the retail pipeline, manufacturers are directed to send the app via software updates. It is worth mentioning that this directive was sent confidentially and was dispatched selectively to chosen firms.
However, legal experts have raised serious concerns regarding this policy. A legal expert focusing in technology law said that India's directive is a reason to worry.
“The government effectively erodes user consent as a meaningful choice,” stated Mishi Choudhary, an advocate working on internet advocacy issues.
Digital rights groups had previously condemned a similar requirement by Russia in August for a government-sponsored communication called Max to be included on phones.
India, one of the world's biggest telephone markets, boasts more than 1.2 billion connections. Government statistics reveal that the Sanchar Saathi application, launched in January, has already helped tracking down over 700,000 stolen phones, with around 50,000 found in October alone.
The authorities argues that the tool is essential to fight the “significant endangerment” of mobile network cybersecurity from cloned or tampered IMEI numbers, which are used for fraud and system misuse.
Apple's iOS runs on an approximate 4.5% of the 735 million mobile phones in India, with the rest using Android, as per industry analysis. While Apple includes its own first-party apps on its devices, its internal policies reportedly prohibit the inclusion of any third-party app before the sale of a device.
“Apple has historically resisted such mandates from authorities,” said Tarun Pathak, a analyst at Counterpoint.
“It’s expected to aim for a compromise: instead of a forced pre-install, they might discuss and ask for an option to encourage users towards downloading the application.”
Requests for response from Apple, Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi went unresponded. India’s telecommunications department also did not respond.
The IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is a unique identification number assigned to each mobile device. It is most commonly used by operators to disable cellular access for phones reported as lost.
The Sanchar Saathi app is primarily intended to enable users block and track lost or stolen smartphones across all mobile carriers, using a national registry. It also lets them to identify, and disconnect, fraudulent mobile connections.
With more than 5 million downloads since its release, the software has already been used to disable more than 3.7 million missing mobile phones. Furthermore, over 30 million illegal connections have also been terminated through its use.
The authorities asserts that the software aids in combating cyberthreats and assists in the locating and blocking of lost or stolen phones, thereby helping police in recovering devices and preventing cloned devices out of the illicit trade.
A seasoned casino enthusiast and gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and strategies.
