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After Apple says no way, India revokes order to preload state-run ‘cybersecurity’ app on smartphones

MacDailyNews

Dec 3

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India’s government on Wednesday withdrew a mandate requiring smartphone manufacturers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, following intense backlash from politicians, privacy advocates, and global tech giants over fears of government surveillance, particularly after reports that Apple planned to defy the order.

The Modi government had quietly instructed major companies, including Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi, on November 28 to install the undeletable “Sanchar Saathi” app on all new phones within 90 days.

Reuters:
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“Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” India’s communications ministry said in a press statement on Wednesday.
The move comes after protests from opposition parties over the issue, while newspaper editorials joined privacy advocates in denouncing the move. The government also found itself at odds with phone manufacturers, as Apple and Samsung had plans to not comply with the directive, sources said.
Just a day earlier government ministers had defended the plan, saying the app only helps track and block stolen phones and prevents them from being misused, while fending off criticism about the order that also asked smartphone companies to ensure the app cannot be disabled.
Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a notice to Parliament that the government needed to clarify the legal authority for “mandating a non-removable app” and called for a debate on privacy and security risks.
“The grave, serious and real apprehension is also that such compulsorily installed app can have a backdoor, thereby absolutely compromising the data and privacy of the user,” he added.

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MacDailyNews Take: No backdoors! Hands off our private and secure iPhones, intrusive and clueless bureaucrats, autocrats, and technocrats of the world!

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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

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