Amid mounting concerns over invasion of privacy, the Union government’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued an order on December 1 telling smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the state-owned cyber-security app, Sanchar Saathi.
For old phones, the government has ordered manufacturers to “push” the app through software updates. The order should be implemented within 90 days, the DoT further said.
The decision has been dubbed a “Big Brother” move by the Opposition and privacy rights experts.
As per the DoT order, the move is aimed at “safeguarding citizens from buying non-genuine handsets, enabling easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources and increasing effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative.”
Under the Telecom Cyber Security (TCS) rules, manufacturers have been directed to preinstall the app on new devices sold from March 2026. A compliance report of the same should be submitted to the DoT within 120 days.
The Union government has also specifically told manufacturers to ensure that the app’s functionalities cannot be “disabled or restricted” by the user. The app should be readily visible and accessible, the order said.
The Union government claims that the Sanchar Saathi initiative aims to curb the misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds and ensure cyber security.
According to the DoT order, the app lets people verify through the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number if the phone is genuine. The app also offers other features such as reporting suspected fraud calls or messages, reporting lost or stolen phones, checking what mobile connections are registered in the user’s name, and viewing trusted contact details of banks and financial institutions.
In 2023, the DoT launched the Sanchar Saathi portal, with the same functionalities. The app is an extension of it.
The DoT said that when IMEI numbers are faked or altered, the same number can show up on different phones in different places at the same time, making it hard for authorities to take action.
The order added that India has a large second-hand phone market, and there have been cases where stolen or blacklisted phones are sold again. People who unknowingly buy them end up becoming part of the crime and also lose money. The Sanchar Saathi app can help users check if an IMEI number is blocked or blacklisted.
Though all this sounds good on paper, many experts have flagged that this is a privacy nightmare.
‘Big Brother’ move
According to cyber expert Anand V, the app requires a list of permissions, including reading and sending SMSs, accessing call logs, view phone and network status, etc.
A lawyer specialising in internet freedoms told Reuters that the Union government is effectively removing user consent as a meaningful choice.
Nikhil Pahwa, founder-editor of MediaNama, said in a statement that while Sanchar Saathi is essentially a lost phone tracker, as the app cannot be deleted, it becomes a government tracker.
He added that the forceful embedding of Sanchar Saathi is a clear invasion of an individual's right to privacy. He argued that the Data Protection Law has made private companies more accountable and the Indian government less accountable.
He termed the move “dictatorial”, as the government passed the order without public consultation.
Responding to these concerns, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, “Big Brother will take over our phones and pretty much our entire private lives. This is Pegasus++.”
Pegasus is a powerful, military-grade spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group. It is designed to infiltrate smartphones without the user’s knowledge. Once the software infiltrates the device, it can access messages, emails, photos, call logs, location data, microphone, and camera.