India Scraps Mandatory Tracking App After Apple Pushback
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The Indian government has done a quick 180 on its plans to force Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to pre-install an undeletable tracking app on smartphones sold in the region.
Over the course of 48 hours, Indian officials have pulled back, first backing down on making it impossible for smartphone users to delete the app, and now changing their collective mind about requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-load the app before a device is sold to a customer. This is in part due to Apple’s pushing back on the new regulations and outright refusing to comply.
On Tuesday, iDrop News reported that Apple intended to refuse a mandate from the Indian government that would force it to preload an undeletable state-run tracking app called “Sanchar Saathi” on all iPhones sold in the region. While the government presented the app as a way to help smartphone owners recover lost or stolen devices, it would also allow the government to track those devices, presenting a huge threat to user privacy.
While it was originally believed that Apple’s pushback was a way for the Cupertino iPhone maker to press for negotiation on the matter, the company went so far as to outright refuse to comply with the new rules.
The Guardian reports that India responded by immediately backing down on its demand that users not be allowed to delete the app from their devices. However, it was still initially pushing to have Apple, Google, Samsung, and other phone makers pre-install the app on their devices.
Now, Indian officials have also dropped the pre-installation requirement. The publication says the Indian telecom ministry backtracked on its plan for the state-owned security app following a mass outcry over privacy concerns and tech companies pushing back against the new regulations.
The Department of Telecommunications confirmed that it has revoked the order mandating that tech companies pre-install the tracking app on every smartphone sold in India. The new rules would also have required Apple and other companies to push the app to smartphones already on store shelves via a mandatory software update, a move many feared would eventually expand to phones already in customers’ hands.
As you might imagine, India’s reversal was applauded by online privacy and rights groups. The Internet Freedom Foundation released a statement saying, “For now, we should treat this as cautious optimism, not closure, until the formal legal direction is published and independently confirmed.”
The Sanchar Saathi app is already available in the Indian App Store, allowing users to voluntarily install it on their iPhones. The app allows users to report lost or stolen devices and request carriers to block the device’s IMEI number. Users can also report scammers and other types of fraudulent phone calls.
The Indian smartphone market is one of the world’s largest, with over 1.2 billion subscribers. Government officials claim the app, launched in January, has helped recover more than 700,000 lost devices.
Apple’s pushback against India’s privacy-violating regulations is heartening, especially considering how Apple has seemingly yielded to government pressure far too easily in the past.
