India blinks: won't require Apple to preinstall a state app on iPhone
India's government has backtracked on its demand for Apple to preinstall a state-backed app onto the iPhone, after facing a predictable public backlash.
A graphic Apple created for the launch of its online Apple Store in India in 2020 - Image credit: Apple
On November 28, the India Ministry of Communication issued a secret directive to Apple and other smartphone manufacturers, requiring the preinstallation of a government-backed app. Less than a week later, the order has been rescinded.
The withdrawal on Wednesday means Apple doesn't have to preload the Sanchar Saathi app onto iPhones sold in the country, in a way that couldn't be "disabled or restricted."
Sanchar Saathi is an app helps track down and disable smartphones that are lost and stolen in the country, as well as preventing the duplication and spoofing of IMEI numbers. The government said the app also prevents cyber threats and helps prevent counterfeit devices from hitting the black market.
The government faced immediate complaints about how the order came about. BBC News reports that cybersecurity experts complained about the decision harming the right to privacy for the country's citizens.
The mandatory nature of the directive was a problem, as well as how it was handled. Apple and Samsung resisted the directive, with sources claiming there were concerns that it was brought about without any prior consultation.
It's not over yet
In pulling back from the demand, the government insisted that the app had an "increasing acceptance" among citizens. There was a tenfold spike of new user registrations on Tuesday alone, with over 600,000 new users made aware of the app from the public debacle.
India Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia took a moment to insist that concerns the app could be used for increased surveillance were unfounded. "Snooping is neither possible nor will it happen" with the app, Scindia claimed.
"This is a welcome development, but we are still awaiting the full text of the legal order that should accompany this announcement, including any revised directions under the Cyber Security Rules, 2024," said the Internet Freedom Foundation. It is treating the news with "cautious optimism, not closure," until formalities conclude.
However, while promising, the backdown doesn't stop India from retrying something similar or another tactic in the future.
In January, India held talks with Apple and Google about preinstalling state-backed apps onto smartphones sold in India. While nothing came of the talks at the time, there were undertones that India could make changes to the law to force manufacturers to comply.
There was also an attempt to exert control over Apple in 2023, with a demand to provide operating system updates in advance for pre-screening purposes. At the time, India was concerned about spying and abuse.
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Comments
Riiiiight...
As if the app has to be directly coded to do such things. Ever heard of Tik Tok or read its user agreement?
If you are forced to install and then forced to agree to terms in order to install - and such terms dictate the uploading of your phone data, it's a done deal.
India just waiting until people forget. Frog in the frying pan scenario. Hopefully Apple gets loud and screams bloody murder every single time they bring it up.
If this was such an innocuous and beneficial app, India would never have put the stipulation that it could not be disabled or restricted, in essence taking the users agency away from their own device. Scary stuff.