New Delhi – India is requiringโ a new application, Sanchar Saathi, โคto be pre-installed on all new โขmobile devices sold within the country, a moveโข aimed at bolstering national security and curbing mobile fraud. The mandate, recently implemented by theโฃ Indian โgovernment, impacts the country’s โฃmassive mobile phone market and raises questions about data privacy.
The Sanchar Saathi app allows users to block lost or stolen phonesโค usingโ their Internationalโข Mobile Equipment Identity โค(IMEI) number, a unique identifier for each device. It โalso facilitates theโฃ identification andโ disconnection of fraudulent mobile connections. Government figures indicate the app has been downloaded over 14 million times, leading to the blocking ofโ more than 4.2 million stolen or lost phones and the disconnection of over 30 million fake mobile connections.
According to โฃthe government, the application does not automatically collect personal details without userโข notification. However, โฃits privacy policy details requests for permissions: iPhone users may be asked to grant access to theirโ camera, photos, โฃand files for specific functions,โฃ while Android users may be prompted โขto share call logs, SMS messages for registration, and access to their camera โคandโ photos to detect cellphone numbers and manage calls.
The move has sparked debate, โwith Apple voicing concernsโ regarding userโค privacy and security.Counterpoint Research data shows Android dominates the Indian smartphone market, holding over 95% of the market share, with Apple’s iOS comprising the remaining portion. Sanchar Saathi is currently available on both the App โStore and Google Play โขStore.
