Centre says users can delete state-owned web safety app, experts cite order to question claim

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday claimed that users will be able to delete the government cyber security app that smartphone manufacturers have been asked to mandatorily preload on all devices.

However, the digital rights organisation Internet Freedom Foundation pointed out that Scindia’s explanation was incorrect.

Paragraph 7(b) of the order issued by the Department of Telecommunications on Friday states that the Sanchar Saathi app “cannot be ‘disabled or restricted’”, the organisation said on social media.

The Union government directed manufacturers to preinstall the app in new phones and to add the application to devices that have already been sold through a software update within three months.

Users will not be able to disable the app, the Ministry of Communications said in a press release on Monday.

The comment by Scindia on Tuesday came following pushback by Opposition leaders and technology policy experts who expressed concern that the directive amounted to expanded surveillance without safeguards.

The Congress said that the directive by the telecom department was “beyond unconstitutional” and demanded that it should be rolled back immediately.

Party leader KC Venugopal said that “Big Brother cannot watch us”, adding that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty.

“A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian,” Venugopal...

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