Mandatory ‘Sanchar Saathi’ App on New Phones! Opposition Alleges Surveillance

Sanchar Saathi App: A recent mandate by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regarding smartphone software has triggered a significant backlash across political and technological spectrums. On Monday, December 1, 2025, the central government issued a directive to smartphone manufacturers, requiring them to pre-install the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app on all devices. This move has raised serious questions regarding privacy, surveillance, and user consent among opposition leaders and digital rights activists.

The core of the controversy lies in the nature of the installation. Unlike regular apps that users can choose to download or remove, this government-mandated application is expected to be “bloatware”—system-level software that users likely cannot uninstall. This has led to fears that the government is embedding a permanent surveillance tool in the personal devices of citizens.

Understanding the Role of Sanchar Saathi

Originally launched in 2023 as a web portal, the Sanchar Saathi initiative was introduced by the DoT with a focus on citizen safety and fraud prevention. The platform integrates several tools designed to empower mobile subscribers:

• Fraud Detection: It allows users to flag and report fraudulent phone calls.
• Lost Device Tracking: Users can block stolen or lost mobile phones by blacklisting the IMEI number, preventing unauthorized use across telecom networks.
• Device Verification: It offers a feature to verify the genuineness of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, which is crucial when purchasing pre-owned devices.

Political Backlash and “Big Boss” Comparisons

The directive has met with fierce opposition. Congress leader K.C. Venugopal described the move as “beyond constitutional,” characterizing the app as a “dystopian tool” designed to monitor every Indian citizen. The opposition argues that forcing an app onto personal devices violates the fundamental right to privacy.

Echoing these sentiments, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), Priyanka Chaturvedi, termed the mandate a “Big Boss surveillance moment.” She criticized the government for attempting to turn every mobile phone into a permanent tracking device, suggesting that the administration is overstepping its boundaries under the guise of security.

Security Risks Highlighted by Experts

Beyond politics, the technical implications of this mandate have alarmed cybersecurity experts. Pre-installed apps often come with “root access” or privileged permissions within the operating system. Anand Venkatanarayanan, co-founder of the policy and cybersecurity consultancy DeepStrat, expressed concerns on social media platform X.

Key technical concerns include:

• Root Access Abuse: Once an app has root access, it can potentially bypass standard security protocols without prompting the user for additional permissions.
• Malware Potential: Experts warn that a pre-installed app could inadvertently act as a carrier for malware.
• Silent Updates: Through ‘Over the air’ (OTA) updates, the regulator could theoretically expand the app’s permissions and capabilities without user intervention, turning the regulator into a potential “malware operator” if the system is compromised.

Recent Tightening of Digital Rules

This development follows another stringent order issued by the DoT last week under the amended Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024. The government directed platforms like WhatsApp to restrict usage to the device containing the registered SIM card. Additionally, secondary access points like WhatsApp Web must now be logged out every six hours. These successive regulations indicate a significant shift in how the government intends to manage and monitor digital communications in the country.