Apple does not plan to comply with a mandate to preload its smartphones with a state-owned cybersafety app and will convey its concerns to New Delhi, three sources familiar with the matter said, after the government’s move sparked surveillance concerns.
The Indian government has confidentially ordered companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi to preload their phones with an app called Sanchar Saathi, or Communication Partner, within 90 days. The app is intended to track stolen phones, block them and prevent them from being misused.
The government also wants manufacturers to ensure that the app is not disabled.
And for devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers should push the app to phones via software updates, Reuters was first to report on Monday.
India’s telecom ministry confirmed the move later, describing it as a security measure to combat “serious endangerment” of cybersecurity.
But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political opponents and privacy advocates criticised the move, saying it is a way for the government to gain access to India’s 730 million smartphones.
Apple does not plan to comply with the directive and will tell the government it does not follow such mandates anywhere in the world as they raise a host of privacy and security issues for the company’s iOS ecosystem, said two of the industry sources who are familiar with Apple’s concerns.
They declined to be named publicly as the company’s strategy is private.
In tackling a recent surge of cybercrime and hacking, India is joining authorities worldwide, most recently in Russia, to frame rules blocking the use of stolen phones for fraud or promoting state-backed government service apps.
The order caused a furore both inside and outside Parliament yesterday, with a number of lawmakers accusing the government of introducing an app that would act as a snooping tool. — Reuters
