India rescinds cybersecurity app order

Move follows outcry over smartphone mandate.

Following a public outcry, India is no longer requiring smartphone manufacturers to preload the Sanchar Saathi app on new devices.

The order was revoked just days after the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi were told to have the state-run cybersecurity app pre-installed on new mobile phones.

India’s Ministry of Communications was quoted by Reuters as saying in a statement: “Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.”

It was reported that resistance came not only from companies but from privacy advocates and politicians as well, with the issue of surveillance being the main concern.

The government-owned app, which users would not have been able to delete or disable once pre-installed, was said to be aimed at tracking and blocking stolen devices.

“The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world,” the Indian government previously stated.

The installation of the Sanchar Saathi app is now voluntary.