Event Summary
On 28 November 2025, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued a directive requiring all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on devices sold or imported into the country, and to roll it out to existing devices through software updates. The mandate specified that users would not be permitted to disable or uninstall the app.
The order immediately raised strong concerns from civil-society groups, digital-rights organisations, technology companies, and opposition lawmakers, who warned that compulsory installation of a government-developed app on all phones could undermine privacy, user autonomy, and protections against intrusive surveillance. Reports indicated that major manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, questioned the legality and feasibility of the order, and some were reportedly prepared to challenge it.
Critics argued that the directive introduced a significant deterioration in India’s digital enabling environment by creating risks of disproportionate state access to personal devices, limiting users’ control over their own smartphones, and setting a precedent for mandatory digital tools without meaningful consent. Civil society described the measure as a harmful shift toward increased state control over digital ecosystems and user data.