Govt open to revising Sanchar Saathi preload order on feedback: Scindia

Telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Lok Sabha the Centre is open to changing DoT's Sanchar Saathi preloading directive based on feedback, as privacy concerns and OEM pushback grow

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The government was open to making changes to the rules issued by the Department of Telecommunications mandating pre-loading of the Sanchar Saathi app, based on feedback from people, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

 

What did Scindia say in Lok Sabha about changing the Sanchar Saathi directive?

 

“We will receive feedback, and if we need to make any changes even to that order based on the feedback, we are ready for that too,” he said during Question Hour in the Lower House of Parliament, while adding that the intent of the government was to make the app available to every user following the success of the portal and the app that have together enabled disconnection of 1.5 crore fraudulent connections, tracing of 26 lakh stolen mobile phones and recovery of 7 lakh stolen mobile phones.

 

“Based on this, we have tried to give every citizen that choice. Just because the app is on the phone doesn’t mean it will operate automatically. Until I, as a consumer, register on it, it will not operate and as a consumer, just like there are many apps on my phone, I can delete that app as well. Therefore, in a democracy, the full right and authority belongs to the citizen,” he added.

 

What did the minister say about surveillance and ‘snooping’ concerns?

 

Addressing concerns about the app being potentially used for surveillance and monitoring by the government, the minister said, “I must affirm that, on this app, neither is snooping possible, nor will snooping happen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government wants to give power into the hands of the country's public so that they can keep themselves safe,” he said.

 

Why has the preloading rule drawn pushback from OEMs and Opposition parties?

 

The minister’s comments come a day after he clarified that the app could be deleted even as some global handset makers, including Apple, indicated to the government that they would be unlikely to implement the directive in its current form.

 

The Department of Telecom’s (DoT’s) AI and Intelligence unit issued the directive on November 28, mandating smartphone makers to pre-load the app on devices before sale, and “endeavour to push the app” to units already manufactured and sitting in sales channels through software updates. The directive issued under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, also required that the pre-loaded app not be deletable.

 

As of Tuesday evening, the DoT had not amended the directions to handset makers on pre-installation, meaning original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would technically still be required to comply within 90 days. The directive led to a political furore, with leaders of Opposition parties alleging the app could become a tool for surveillance, while legal and public policy experts cautioned that the move was in contravention of the spirit of the privacy laws the government brought in last month.