Rush Hour: Centre withdraws order on mandatory phone app, rupee sinks to low of 90 and more

The Union government has withdrawn its order that directed smartphone manufacturers to mandatorily preload a government cybersecurity app on all devices. The decision was taken “given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance”, stated the Ministry of Communications.

The announcement came hours after Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament that the app cannot be used for snooping. He had also said that the government is willing to make changes to the order based on public feedback.

Opposition leaders and technology policy experts had expressed concern about the directive, stating that it amounted to expanded surveillance without safeguards. Read on.

‘A permanent surveillance backdoor’: Why Sanchar Saathi app order raises privacy fears

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it will bring back to India a pregnant woman and her eight-year-old son who were “pushed” into Bangladesh. Sunali Khatun, her son Sabir and husband Danish Sk, who are residents of West Bengal, were forced into Bangladesh by the Indian authorities in June on claims that they are undocumented immigrants.

The Bangladeshi authorities arrested them on August 21 for illegal entry. They were released from the Chapainawabganj jail on Monday evening after a lower court granted them bail on humanitarian grounds.

This came on the same day that the Supreme Court asked the Union government if Khatun and...

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