Event Summary
On 3 December 2025, the Government of India withdrew an earlier directive that would have required all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on devices sold in India. The original mandate, issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 28 November 2025, required both newly sold and existing smartphones to include the app through software updates.
According to media reports, the decision was reversed following extensive criticism from civil-society organisations, digital-rights groups, technology companies, and political opposition figures, who warned that compulsory installation of a government-developed app could raise concerns around privacy, surveillance and user autonomy. Government officials stated that the mandate was no longer necessary after a reported surge in voluntary registrations, with 600,000 new users in 24 hours and 14 million total users.
With the reversal, Sanchar Saathi remains fully optional, and users retain the ability to install or delete the app freely. Civil-society groups consider the withdrawal a positive development for digital rights, noting that it reinforces user consent, reduces the risk of intrusive state access to personal devices, and signals greater responsiveness to public concerns about digital regulation.