India asks manufacturers to install cybersecurity app in mobile phones

India has ordered companies that manufacture or import mobile phones for the domestic market to pre-install the government-backed Sanchar Saathi app in new devices, according to a statement issued late Monday by the Communications Ministry.

The officials said the directive aims to prevent consumers from purchasing non-genuine devices and to strengthen the Sanchar Saathi initiative, which the Department of Telecommunications describes as a tool to curb misuse of telecom resources for cyber fraud and ensure telecom cyber security.

Manufacturers and importers must make efforts to push the app to devices already in distribution channels via software updates, the ministry added.

The opposition Indian National Congress criticized the move, calling it unconstitutional overreach. K. C. Venugopal, a senior Congress figure, wrote on US social media company X that "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."

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters that the app was not mandatory and a user can delete it anytime.

"This is a matter of customer protection. There is nothing mandatory. If you do not want to register it, don't. It will stay dormant. And if you want to delete it, delete it. But not every person in the country knows that there is an app to protect him/her from fraud. So, it is our responsibility to spread the information," he said.