Government Mandate to Pre-Install Sanchar Saathi App: A Look at Privacy Concerns

New Delhi, December 03, 2025:The government’s directive mandating mobile phone manufacturers and importers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi application on all new devices sold in the country has sparked a heated debate, pitting the imperatives of national cybersecurity against the fundamental right to digital privacy.

The Government’s Rationale: Digital Security

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) frames the app as a citizen-centric measure to combat the growing menace of cyber fraud and mobile phone theft. Its core functions include:

• Blocking Stolen Devices: Leveraging the unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), the app allows users to block lost or stolen phones across all telecom networks, deterring theft and aiding traceability.
• Checking Genuineness: Users can verify the authenticity of a handset and its IMEI, helping to curb the use of duplicate or spoofed devices.
• Fraud Reporting: Features like ‘Chakshu’ enable citizens to report suspected fraudulent calls and messages, supporting the clampdown on online scams.

The Core Privacy Concerns

Despite the beneficial intent, the initial order that the app’s functionalities “cannot be disabled or restricted” by the user was the primary catalyst for the widespread privacy fears:

• Erosion of User Consent: Mandatory pre-installation, critics argue, converts a personal smartphone into a vessel for state-mandated software, fundamentally bypassing user choice and control over their private device.
• Extensive Permissions: The Sanchar Saathi app requests a wide array of potentially intrusive permissions, including access to Call/SMS Logs, Camera, and the ability to send SMS for verification. While the government claims this access is purely for anti-fraud features (like auto-populating call logs for reporting), digital rights groups warn that such extensive access, particularly in a mandatory, system-level application, creates a significant risk of state surveillance or future misuse.
• Data Transparency Gap: The app’s privacy policy has been flagged for lacking clarity on crucial elements, such as the duration of data storage, explicit statements on a user’s right to request data deletion, and an opt-out mechanism for data processing. This lack of robust transparency fuels concern over how collected personal data—such as phone number registration and reported communications—will be protected and governed.

The Clarification and Moving Forward

Following the intense public and political pushback, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified that the Sanchar Saathi app is optional and can be deleted by the user. This clarification addresses the most critical fear—that of an unremovable, ever-active government surveillance tool.

However, even as an optional app, the privacy debate persists due to the broad permissions it demands. Ultimately, the success and public acceptance of Sanchar Saathi will depend not just on its utility in fighting fraud, but on the government’s ability to implement transparent, legally-backed, and auditable safeguards that strictly limit the app’s functionality to its stated goals, ensuring it remains a shield against crime, not a tool for unchecked state access.