Govt seeks source code access from smartphone firms

THE GOVERNMENT HAS proposed requiring smartphone makers to share source code with it and make several software changes as part of a raft of security measures, prompting behind-the-scenes opposition from giants like Apple and Samsung.

- ADITYA KALRA & MUNSIF VENGATTIL

The tech companies have countered that the package of 83 security standards, which would also include a requirement to alert the government to major software updates, lacks any global precedent and risks revealing proprietary details, according to four people familiar with the discussions and a Reuters' review of confidential government and industry documents.

The plan is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to boost security of user data as online fraud and data breaches increase in the world's secondlargest smartphone market, with nearly 750 million phones.