Completely negates right of privacy: Randeep Surjewala on Sanchar Saathi

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Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday flagged concerns related to Sanchar Saathi mobile application in the Rajya Sabha, saying it completely negates the right of privacy of every individual.

Raising the issue, he said a clear apprehension is that features of the application would point out real-time geo-location of every user, monitoring of the search history, financial transaction and a possible monitoring of conversations through SMS and WhatsApp.

"Government of India, Ministry of Communication has purportedly issued an order whereby all cellphone manufacturers and importers of cellphones are compulsorily obliged to upload Sanchar Saathi app. It is also directed that this app has to be pushed into every cell phone and smartphone," Surjewala said.

The ministry's order dated November 28, mandates all mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app in all handsets to be sold in India as well as in existing devices through a software update.

It also mandates mobile phone companies to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup.

Surjewala said pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app is a clear breach of privacy of every smartphone and cell phone users of India.

"Would this not completely negate the right of privacy of every individual? And a possible kill switch, sir, will turn every cellphone into a brick. If the government then wants, then every cellphone of every journalist, every opposition leader, every dissident, it will become a pure simple brick by use of a kill switch," said the Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.

Surjewala said all passwords, information, bank account numbers, personal information of every user stored on the cell phone becomes susceptible, either with a government agency or a hacker, or both in this case.

"It also can possibly give a hacker full device control. Look at the implications it is fraught with. Also, sir, it leaves millions of devices exposed for months, for it depends on an upgrade that would be pushed by the government.

"To give you an example, the government pushes an upgrade, Samsung doesn't do it for three months. For three months, all cellphones of that make will be susceptible to be hacked by any hacker in any manner whatsoever, completely compromising the data of every single person," he said.

Surjewala demanded that the government clarify the legal authority for mandating a non-renewable application and push a compulsory software update and disclose "what independent security audit and safeguards and misuse prevention mechanisms are in place" for it.