A major political controversy has broken out after the Centre ordered all mobile manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on every device made or imported in India. While the government claims the move will curb cyber fraud and assist in locating lost phones, the Congress and other Opposition parties argue that it opens the door to state surveillance and have demanded that the directive be withdrawn.
Sanchar Saathi is a government-run digital safety platform offering several user-focused services through its app and website. One of its key features, Chakshu, allows users to flag suspected cyber-fraud, spam calls, phishing links, and other malicious communications sent via SMS, iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and similar platforms.
Under the new directive from the Department of Telecommunications, all phonemakers must ensure the app appears visibly on devices within 90 days from November 28 and cannot be disabled. Existing devices must receive it via software updates, with penalties for non-compliance.
Opposition leaders such as KC Venugopal and Priyanka Chaturvedi have sharply criticised the mandate as intrusive and unconstitutional. Meanwhile, industry sources told Reuters that companies like Apple and Samsung were not consulted and may resist the order, despite the app reporting millions of downloads and significant recoveries of stolen phones.
