The Central Government has issued a major statement regarding the Sanchar Sathi app. The government has not mandated the pre-installation of this app on phones. The Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT) has issued a post on X, announcing the removal of the pre-installation requirement for this app.
The Ministry stated in the X post, "In order to provide cybersecurity benefits to all citizens, the government had mandated the pre-installation of the Sanchar Sathi app on all smartphones. This app is completely secure, and its sole purpose is to protect citizens from cyber criminals... Given the growing popularity of Sanchar Sathi, the government has decided to remove the mandatory pre-installation requirement for mobile manufacturers."
Apple Expressed Disagreement
It should be noted that this move by the Central Government is also being linked to Apple's decision. After receiving the government's order on November 28th, smartphone manufacturer Apple refused to comply. The company stated that this move could put iPhone users' personal data at risk. Apple, quoted by Reuters, stated that the company would raise its concerns with the government.
The government stated that the purpose was to increase public participation.
According to the ministry, the app promotes "public participation," as citizens can report any suspicious online activity and protect themselves. The government clarified that the app has no other purpose and that users can uninstall it at any time if they wish.
Political strife over the app was growing.
It is worth noting that the opposition lodged strong protests in Parliament following the order making pre-installation of the app mandatory on smartphones within 90 days. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly criticised the Department of Telecommunications' directive, calling it dictatorial. Several opposition leaders alleged that the government wanted to spy on citizens under the guise of preventing fraud. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal also alleged that the Modi government's order to install the Sanchar Sarathi app on phones was a blatant attack on people's privacy and freedom.
However, dismissing all the opposition's allegations as baseless, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that spying is not possible through the "Sanchar Saathi" app. The app was created for public safety and assistance. He stated that the government has no intention of monitoring people's activities through the app. According to the notification, the government had previously stated that the app would be mandatory on phones and could not be deleted. However, as the controversy escalated, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told the media that the app could be deleted from phones if no longer needed.
14 million downloads so far
According to a government statement on X, 14 million people have downloaded the app so far, reporting approximately 2,000 online fraud cases daily. "The number of users downloading the app has increased rapidly. The purpose of making the app mandatory was to spread greater awareness so that even less tech-savvy people can use it easily. In the last day alone, 6 lakh people have registered to download the app, which is 10 times more than normal. This shows that people are trusting this app for their safety," the statement said.
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