Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Faced with a barrage of criticism over mandating pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on new smartphones, govt on Wednesday withdrew the directive, seeking to put the controversy on the backburner. The department of telecom (DoT) withdrew the order even while justifying the utility of Sanchar Saathi in making citizens cyber secure. “The govt, with an intent to provide access to cyber security to all citizens, had mandated pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones… Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, govt has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” said a statement amidst criticism. DoT’s Nov 21 directive had taken the industry by surprise, with major global players indicating unhappiness at the move.Strong reaction to app took govt by surprise: OfficialsEven as it withdrew its directive on pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi on new smartphones, govt insisted that the app was quite popular with over 1.4 crore downloads. “The number of users has been increasing rapidly and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily. Just in last one day, 6 lakh citizens have registered for downloading the app which is a 10x increase in its uptake,” it said in a statement.A few hours before the reversal of the decision was announced, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia defended the app in Parliament. Sanchar Saathi app “se na snooping sambhav hai, no snooping hoga”, he said in response to Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda’s supplementary question in Lok Sabha.Officials, however, admitted that govt was taken by surprise at the strong reaction to its move, not just by opposition parties but even by global smartphone makers. Companies such as Apple and Samsung had sounded off the bureaucracy over their displeasure with the “diktat”, and had indicated they would resist the move.Industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) welcomed the withdrawal, and spoke about the need to have consultations with the industry beforehand. “This reflects a balanced and pragmatic policy approach that protects consumers while ensuring smooth and effective implementation by the industry…This decision also reaffirms the importance of comprehensive stakeholder consultations to ensure that future digital security policies are inclusive, technically robust and aligned with on-ground realities.”Scindia’s clarification meaningless: CongressCongress Wednesday said govt’s Sanchar Saathi app is to the common man what Pegasus was to VIPs, as it accused PM Narendra Modi of trying to establish a surveillance state that would keep track of everything, from payments to purchases to photographs to bedrooms, of citizens.Party spokesman Pawan Khera said the clarification of communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in the wake of the controversy is meaningless since Section 7(b) of the directions to mobile manufacturers clearly state the pre-installed app cannot be removed nor can any of its “functionalities be disabled or restricted”. “This was not a clarification, it was a blatant lie,” he said.
