Sanchar Saathi app will No longer be pre-installed on phones

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The central government has withdrawn the requirement of pre-installing the 'Sanchaar Saathi' app in mobile phones. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that this decision has been changed in view of the rapidly increasing popularity of the app and it is no longer mandatory for phone companies. According to the department, till Wednesday afternoon, 1.40 crore users have downloaded the app, which is 10 times more than before in two days.

On Wednesday, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia assured the Lok Sabha that the app does not engage in any form of spying. He stated that the Sanchar Saathi app only collects data that users themselves report as fraud or spam. It neither listens to calls, reads messages, or checks anyone's personal information. He also clarified that the app is completely optional and users can uninstall it at any time.

The controversy erupted on November 28th when the DoT ordered all mobile companies to sell the app pre-installed on new phones and add it to older phones through software updates. The opposition strongly opposed the order, calling it an "attempt at espionage," an "invasion of privacy," and a "dictatorial move." Several leaders, including Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Renuka Chowdhary, said the government wanted to monitor citizens.

Congress leader Pawan Khera took a dig at the Sanchar Sathi app, saying, "Don't be fooled by the name Sanchar Sathi. This isn't a companion. It's the government's elephant that has infiltrated your phone—just like in the movie 'Haathi Mere Saathi'! Spying is their old habit, their old disease. In Gujarat, they're famous for it."

BJP leader Sambit Patra, representing the government, stated that the app neither reads personal data nor records calls. Its purpose is solely to enhance digital security, such as detecting fraudulent calls, identifying fake SIMs, and tracking stolen mobile phones. The government claimed that more than 700,000 stolen or lost mobile phones have been recovered using this technology, while the DoT reported that 22.76 lakh devices had been traced by September.

What does the Sanchar Saathi app do?

  1. Easy tool to report fraud calls/messages

  2. Blocking of stolen or lost phones based on IMEI

  3. Help in locating duplicate IMEI

  4. Help of police and telecom companies in preventing cyber fraud

Although the government is citing its benefits, privacy-related questions may arise in the future, because if new features are added to the app in the future, both control and transparency will be important.