India rolls back order to preinstall cybersecurity app on smartphones

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NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s telecoms ministry on Wednesday rolled back its order for smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a government-run cybersecurity app on new devices.

The Ministry of Communications on Monday asked smartphone makers to install the government’s “Sanchar Saathi” app within 90 days and to prevent users from disabling it. It also required manufacturers to push the app onto older models through a software update.

Monday’s directive led to widespread criticism and concerns of violation of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. That order also clashed with policies of companies like U.S.-based Apple, which prohibits preinstalling third-party apps on its devices, including those developed by governments.

The ministry said in a statement Wednesday that 600,000 new users had registered to download the app in the last day. While noting its increased acceptance, it said the government “has decided not to make the preinstallation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.”

“The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyberworld. There is no other function other than protecting the users in the app and they can remove the app whenever they want,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, India’s telecom minister, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, had called the app voluntary after privacy advocates said it could erode user privacy and consent.

The “Sanchar Saathi” app, which was released in January, was designed to let users block and track lost or stolen phones and to identify and shut down fraudulent mobile connections. Since its launch, it has drawn at least 14 million downloads, according to government data.