Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday dismissed claims that the Sanchar Saathi app works as a “snooping tool,” saying such use was “not possible.” Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the question hour, Scindia said the app is meant to empower citizens and help them guard against cyber threats. “Snooping is neither possible nor will happen with the Sanchar Saathi app,” he said.
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Pre-installed application intended for cyber fraud prevention
On November 28, DoT asked mobile phone manufacturers to install the Sanchar Saathi app on every device sold in India. The direction has also been extended to existing devices through software updates. The order said that during first use or device setup, the app should be readily visible as well as accessible, and its functionalities should not be disabled or restricted.
The state minister for Communications, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, stressed the preventive function of the app against cyber fraud. He said that Sanchar Saathi is probably the “only way” to prevent cyber fraud. I ask anyone who says it is a snooping app to please download the app. Take a look at it by yourself... There are only a few ways to prevent cyber fraud. This is, in my view, probably the only way. Whether it can mandatorily pre-install or not is a different story. The government and Scindia have just explained that we will re-examine that order,” ANI quoted him as saying.
On his way out of Parliament, Mr Sekhar said the app collects information from educated people to help those in need, particularly the poor and elderly, and is available in all vernacular languages.
Voluntary use; users free to uninstall application
As per the report by The Hindustan Times, when Scindia responded to the concerns raised by digital rights activists, he added that it is not necessary to keep the app on phones. Users may delete it if they wish. “We worked hard. If you look at the website, almost 20 crore website hits are coming to this website, Sanchar Sathi. And 1.4 crore people have already downloaded this app. Another important point to remember is that Apple and Google have verified this app before it appears on the App Store... If people don't want to use it, they can delete it... The idea of the app is good. I request everybody to download it,” he said.
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What does the app offer?
The facility, launched on the Sanchar Saathi portal in May 2023, enables citizens to check the mobile connections issued on their ID, report on fraudulent numbers, and trace lost or stolen phones. The mobile app that was launched earlier in the year has seen more than 1.4 crore downloads already. As per Scindia, the app has almost 20 crore website hits and is vetted by both Apple and Google before putting it on the app stores.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asked people to download the application and explore the various functionalities, but it’s “not mandatory,” and if people don’t want to use it, they can delete it.
