Centre retreats on Sanchar Saathi

Mandatory Sanchar Saathi preload scrapped after furore. Govt says app poses no threat

- Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Facing sustained Opposition pressure and allegations that it was paving the way for state-sponsored snooping, the Centre on Wednesday rolled back its order mandating the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi safety app on all new mobile phones. The announcement came shortly after Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament that “snooping was neither possible nor would take place through the app.”

In a statement issued after Scindia’s remarks in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of Communications defended the rationale behind its earlier directive. It said the government had mandated the app’s pre-installation “with an intent to provide access to cyber security to all citizens,” and reiterated that the app was “secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world.”