Better sense prevailed as after much criticism and protests, in a rare display of common sense, the government scrapped its earlier directive to smartphone manufacturers to mandatorily pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new mobile handsets. The move came after international companies, such as Apple and Google, refused to comply with the notification. The notification issued by the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) a few days ago mandated pre-installation of the app in all the new smartphones with the directive that the app could not be uninstalled or its core functionality could not be disabled, making it a threat to privacy, as the app’s permissions are highly intrusive.
While the intention, as the government has been at pains to explain, is to benefit the public at large—IMEI verification, blocking or blacklisting lost or stolen phones, and reporting fraudulent calls and SMSs—the directive raises some pertinent questions. Foremost among them is whether, in case of the app being installed, there is a system of checks and balances in place to ensure that the state does not use the application to spy on people, especially political opponents, critics, and activists. It is not the first time such a thing has happened. In fact, most of the countries have been doing just that for decades. When they say Big Brother is watching, he really is. China is yet another example of state-controlled airwaves. But so far there has been no clarity on that, which has created a trust deficit among people.
The other question that boggles the mind is: what about mobile users who are either uneducated or not tech savvy enough to realise that their privacy is being invaded? A large number of people in tier-two and tier-three cities and rural areas possess a smartphone, but they are not tech-savvy enough to deactivate or remove the app and, hence, can become victims of data breaches. A third, and probably one of most serious concern, is, what if the app is used to drive some sort of agenda during election time? The danger in having a state-controlled app is that it can be used to propagate a particular ideology or can be used as a weapon against individuals or businesses that don’t often toe the state’s line.
There is no denying that, instead of depending on foreign apps, there is an urgent need to develop an indigenous app to monitor the data and provide data security to Indians. It is a question not only of citizens’ security but also of national security. Increased misuse of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) for cyberattacks on India and a monumental rise in cybercrimes have perpetuated the need to have a robust system in place to plug security gaps and protect the country’s interests in a world that is caught in the whirlwind of a digital storm. But that can’t be at the cost of the people’s privacy.
