Security experts say India made 'right call' in dropping mandatory rollout of govt app

A bid by the Indian government to require smartphone makers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app could have offered citizens extra protection against phone theft — but experts say it also opened the door to serious privacy risks.

- Nasreen Abdulla

The plan sparked public backlash, leading India to withdraw the mandatory rollout of the Sanchar Saathi app.

Agam Chaudhary, Founder and CEO of Two99, explained to Khaleej Times that while the app had noble intentions, there were issues in the way it was handled. “Preinstalled apps often operate in the background silently,” he said. “Users never asked for them, and yet they remain on the device with privileged access. That creates risks of hidden data collection and a system-level control that the user cannot revoke. In cybersecurity, control equals safety. The less control a user has over their own device, the more fragile the ecosystem becomes.” According to another expert, it was the “right call” to not mandate the installation of the app. “Sanchar Saathi is a useful step toward protecting citizens from SIM fraud, stolen phones, and the rising wave of scam calls,” said Obaidullah Kazmi, founder & CTO of CREDO Technology Services. “But security tools that handle such sensitive data must be built on transparency and trust. The brief move to make the app mandatory created understandable public concern, and withdrawing that decision was the right call.”