Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The Indian government has backpedalled on the mandatory installation of a state-run cyber security app in one of the world’s largest mobile phone markets following a public outcry.
In an order issued last week and made public on Monday, India’s telecoms ministry had demanded that manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, pre-install a government-developed app called “Sanchar Saathi” that could access a phone’s call log, memory and camera on devices sold in India.
Consumers and privacy advocates said the app risked giving invasive Orwellian powers to the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a market with more than 700mn smartphone users.
On Wednesday, the government said it had decided against making pre-installation “mandatory for mobile manufacturers” due to “increasing acceptance” by the public following 140mn downloads.
New Delhi argued that its original intent was “to provide access to cyber security to all citizens”, as the app was “secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world”.
Ahead of the measure’s withdrawal, a major smartphone maker with manufacturing operations in India told the Financial Times it was “reviewing how safe” the app was. Some consumers have complained online about the app’s usefulness, with one saying it “doesn’t do what it says it does”.
On Tuesday, following a barrage of criticism, Jyotiraditya Scindia, India’s communications minister, said use of the app was “completely voluntary and democratic”.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, an Indian free speech lobby group, said that the reversal was a “welcome development” and thanked those who “raised their voice, reported on the issue or pushed back against this mandate”.
Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
