Apple is reportedly planning to quietly resist a new government order in India that requires all smartphone makers to preinstall a state-backed cybersecurity app called Sanchar Saathi on every new device sold in the country. According to Reuters, the tech giant plans to tell the government that it does not follow such requests because of concerns about user privacy and device security.
For those unaware, Sanchar Saathi is an app designed to help users track and block lost or stolen phones using their device’s IMEI number. The app is already available for download on both the App Store and Google Play Store. The new order reportedly requires companies to preload the app on all new phones and push it to existing users through software updates.
While Apple plans to refuse the new directive, it does not want to openly challenge the government. As per the report, the iPhone-maker won’t fight the order in court or publicly criticise it.
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Meanwhile, the government’s order has sparked a debate. Some people say that putting Sanchar Saathi on every phone will make users safer at a time when mobile fraud is increasing. Others worry that forcing a government app onto all devices risks normalising digital surveillance.
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Even though the app’s pages on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store clearly say it does not collect personal data, our own checks show a slightly different picture. When you install the app on an Android phone, it asks for permissions like phone and SMS access, and sometimes it may also ask for the camera, call logs or notification access. These permissions may be needed for certain features, but they still raise concerns.
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