'Users Free To Keep Or Delete Sanchar Saathi': Jyotiraditya Scindia After Opposition Flags Privacy Concerns

New Delhi: Amid a row over privacy issues related to Sanchar Saathi, a smartphone app the government wants pre-installed on all devices, Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said the application can be deleted by users.

"Users can decide to keep the Sanchar Saathi app or delete it," Scindia told reporters on Tuesday.

The Department of Telecom has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app, Sanchar Saathi, is pre-installed on all new devices and installed via a software update on existing handsets.

According to the direction dated November 28, all mobile phones that will be manufactured in India or imported after 90 days from the date of issuing of the order will need to have the app. All mobile phone companies are required to report compliance to the DoT within 120 days.

"If you want to delete it, then delete it. But not everyone in the country knows that this app exists to protect them from fraud and theft," Scindia said.

"It is our responsibility to make this app reach everyone. If you want to delete it, then delete it. If you don't want to use it, then don't register it. If you register it, then it will remain active. If you don't register it, then it will remain inactive," he said.

What is Sanchar Saathi App?

Sanchar Saathi, according to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is an initiative to empower mobile subscribers, strengthen their security and increase awareness about citizen-centric initiatives of the Government.

Available in the form of the Mobile App and web portal, the app provides a host of services, including blocking lost or stolen mobile handsets, confirming the genuineness of mobile handsets, flagging international numbers calling with Indian numbers, and informing users about their verified internet service provider.

It also has 'Chakshu' features, which inform users about suspected fraud, malicious weblinks and unsolicited communication.

Row Over Sanchar Saathi

The political controversy erupted after the DoT directed all mobile manufacturers and importers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi App on all devices, intended for use in India and termed it a move towards "bolstering cybersecurity and curbing the misuse of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)".

The notification makes the Sanchar Saathi feature compulsory on all smartphones and mandates that manufacturers ensure that the App remains accessible to users during the device setup, with no disabling or restriction of features.

The Centre's directive has drawn a sharp response from the Opposition, with many calling it a direct breach of privacy and interference in people's personal lives with an intent to "intimidate" them.

Congress leader KC Venugopal said, "Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT Direction is beyond unconstitutional."

"A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction, and decision of each citizen. This is part of the long series of relentless assaults on the Constitutional Rights of Indian citizens and will not be allowed to continue," he added.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi lashed out at the Centre, terming it a "snooping app" and also claimed that the ruling dispensation was "turning the country into a dictatorship".

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram equated the Sanchar Saathi app with Pegasus spyware and called it "Pegasus ++" and claimed that this was another attempt to pry into the lives of common people and keep surveillance on their private lives.

He also accused the Centre of turning the country into a Russian model. Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), said the move is nothing but "another BIG BOSS surveillance moment".

"Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed, and if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems, it will create surveillance systems, then it should be ready for pushback," she stated.

Also Read:

1. 'Beyond Unconstitutional': As DoT Mandates Sanchar Saathi App On All New Phones, Congress Warns Of 'Dystopian Surveillance'
2. 'Snooping App' Aimed At Invading Privacy: Priyanka Gandhi On Sanchar Saathi App