The Department of Telecom has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app, Sanchar Saathi, is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days.
According to the direction dated November 28, all mobile phones that are manufactured in India or imported after 90 days from the date of issuing the order will need to have the app.
“The central government hereby directs every manufacturer and importer of mobile handsets that are intended for use in India …from 90 days of issue of these instructions, ensure that the Sanchar Saathi mobile application, as specified by DoT, is pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India,” the order said.
Sanchar Saathi App through software updates
For all such devices that have already been manufactured and are in sales channels in India, the manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets will be required to push the app through software updates.
“All manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets that are intended for use in India shall submit compliance reports to the DoT within 120 days from issue of these directions,” the direction said.
The DoT has asked mobile phone companies to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted.
The DoT direction said that action will be taken as per the provisions of the Telecommunications Act 2023, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules 2024, and other applicable laws if the firms fail to comply.
Its uses
The app enables users to report International Mobile Equipment Identity number (IMEI)-related suspicious misuse and also to verify the authenticity of IMEIs used in mobile devices.
Tampering with telecom identifiers, including the 15-digit IMEI number of mobile phones, is a non-bailable offence and can lead to imprisonment of up to three years, fines of up to Rs 50 lakh, or both under the Telecommunications Act 2023.
Telecom subscribers can also report fraudulent calls, lost mobile phones, etc., through the app.
They can also check the number of mobile numbers linked to their Aadhaar number. Any unknown number linked to the Aadhaar number can be disabled too.
Concerns of the opposition
Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP K.C. Venugopal on Monday unleashed one of his sharpest attacks ever on the Central government, calling the directive a “blatant assault on the Constitution” and the “final nail in the coffin of personal privacy”.
In a series of explosive posts and an official statement, Venugopal wrote: “Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT Direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21. A factory-fitted, non-removable government app on every Indian’s phone is nothing but state spyware dressed up as ‘cyber security’.”
“This pre-loaded app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every movement, every interaction, every personal decision of 1.4 billion citizens. From Pegasus to VPN bans to now forcing ‘Sanchar Saathi’ down every throat, this is the latest episode in the BJP’s relentless war on constitutional rights. We completely reject this authoritarian Direction and demand its immediate and unconditional rollback,” the senior Congress leader said.
Venugopal accused the government of “weaponising a legitimate anti-fraud tool into a mass-surveillance monster” and warned that once every Indian phone permanently carries a government app that cannot be deleted, “there will be no private moment left in this country”.
The Congress leader announced that the party will challenge the order in the Supreme Court and will launch a nationwide campaign, “Mera Phone, Meri Marzi – No to Digital Dictatorship”.
Several digital rights organisations, opposition chief ministers, and even some BJP allies have expressed unease.
