Centre Withdraws Mandatory Sanchar Saathi App Order After Privacy Backlash
Opposition parties, civil society and digital rights groups had slammed the directive as intrusive and unconstitutional.
New Delhi: The central government on Wednesday rolled back its order requiring all mobile phones sold in India to come pre-installed with the Sanchar Saathi app, following widespread criticism from political parties, civil society groups and privacy advocates.
In a statement, the Ministry of Communications said the mandate had been withdrawn in view of the app’s “increasing acceptance” among users. “Given Sanchar Saathi’s growing popularity, the Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” the ministry noted.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, speaking in the Lok Sabha, said the government was willing to amend directives if legitimate concerns were raised. The original order dated November 28 had suggested that the app could not be removed or disabled, prompting fears of large-scale digital surveillance. Although the government later clarified that users would be free to delete it, critics argued that involuntary installation itself posed significant privacy risks.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Secretary Neeraj Mittal said the withdrawal was aided by the app’s strong voluntary uptake. “In just one day, six lakh citizens registered to download the app — a tenfold rise. This shows public trust in the app’s ability to help them protect themselves,” he said.
A senior official, however, acknowledged that the directive had come under “too much pressure” from both the public and the industry. Legal advice also indicated that the mandate might not withstand constitutional scrutiny. Scindia assured Parliament that Sanchar Saathi neither accesses personal data nor enables surveillance, but simply offers tools to report fraud and secure mobile connections.
Opposition criticism and privacy concerns
Before its withdrawal, the directive faced strong pushback from the Congress, AAP and CPI(M). Critics called it authoritarian, intrusive and incompatible with citizens’ right to privacy.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of imposing the app without consultation, calling it reflective of “authoritarian governance”. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described it as a “spy app”, questioning where privacy would remain if every device were monitored.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor argued that such apps should be optional: “Those who need them will download them. Making everything mandatory only creates problems.” Randeep Surjewala warned that the requirement risked turning India into a surveillance state, while K. C. Venugopal stressed that privacy is essential to the fundamental right to life and liberty.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal termed the directive a “shameful attack on personal freedom”, and CPI(M) MP John Brittas said mandatory installation could still expose less tech-savvy users to surveillance risks, even if deletion were possible.
Government’s justification and user adoption
The government said that more than 14 million people have downloaded Sanchar Saathi so far, with the app helping citizens report around 2,000 fraud cases every day. Officials maintained that the original mandate aimed to speed up adoption, especially among users unaware of such safety tools.
Digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation welcomed the withdrawal but cautioned that clarity would come only after the formal legal order and any revised rules under the Cyber Security Regulations, 2024, are issued.
The episode highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing digital security with individual privacy as the government shifts toward encouraging voluntary use rather than enforcing mandatory installation.
