India Reverses Mandatory ‘Cyber Safety’ App Requirement Following Surveillance Backlash

The Indian government has backed off on a controversial mandatory requirement for smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its Sanchar Saathi “cyber safety” application on all new devices, following criticism over potential surveillance and privacy risks. The Communications Ministry announced last week that it would no longer compel manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi to load the government-backed application onto new phones. The reversal came less than a week after the initial order, which mandated that the app be added to every new handset within 90 days, with the provision that it could not be deleted by the user. The original policy immediately sparked widespread concerns among digital rights groups that the installation would effectively give authorities access to hundreds of millions of personal devices source: https://medium.com/pivx/india-reverses-mandatory-cyber-safety-app-requirement-following-surveillance-backlash-9b8ec30ed068?source=rss----430d9242e45e---4