The government on Wednesday withdrew its order mandating smartphone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on all devices sold in India. The rollback came after two days of heated political protests, privacy concerns from civil society groups, and reports that companies—including Apple—were preparing legal responses to the directive.
संचार साथी ऐप से न तो snooping संभव है और न ही कभी होगी। आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी की सरकार जनता को अपनी सुरक्षा पर पूरा नियंत्रण और अधिकार देने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है।#SancharSaathiApp की सफलता और उसका व्यापक उपयोग जनता के भरोसे और सहभागिता का परिणाम है। हम… pic.twitter.com/OUPwFtL3Uy
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 3, 2025
In a statement, the government said the mandate was being cancelled because “the number of users who have downloaded the app (over six lakh in 24 hours and 1.4 crore users overall) has been increasing rapidly.” It added that the original order “was meant to accelerate this process.”
Scindia Reiterates: ‘Snooping Is Not Possible’
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who defended the app in Parliament earlier today, again emphasised that the platform does not enable surveillance.
“Snooping is neither possible nor will it happen with the Sanchar Saathi app,” he told the Lok Sabha. Scindia stressed that “I can delete it like any other app… every citizen has this right in a democracy. We took this step to make it accessible to all.”
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Soon after the rollback, the ministry echoed his message: “The app is secure and meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world… there is no other function other than protecting users, and they can remove the app whenever they want.”
Opposition Calls Order ‘Ridiculous’, Raises Pegasus Spectre
Opposition leaders sharply criticised the move to mandate the app, calling it a violation of privacy rights and comparing it to previous allegations of digital surveillance.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “It is ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy… they are turning this country into a dictatorship.”
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram told NDTV the directive was reminiscent of state surveillance in authoritarian regimes. “This has been done in Russia and North Korea… now they want to snoop on our private photos and videos,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the order “another BIG BOSS surveillance moment”, while digital rights groups raised alarms over the app’s earlier version—specifically its root permissions and concerns it could not be removed.
Public Feedback Drives Rollback
Government officials said the swift reversal was a response to citizen concerns. Scindia stated, “The success of the app is based on public participation. But now, based on feedback from the public, we are ready to bring a change in the order.”
The controversy echoed the 2021 Pegasus spyware scandal that shook political corridors and intensified public sensitivity around digital privacy and state surveillance.
What Is the Sanchar Saathi App?
Developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Sanchar Saathi is a cybersecurity and digital identity management platform available on both Android and Apple devices, as well as a web portal.
According to the government, the platform helps users manage their digital identities, report suspicious activity, safeguard devices, and access educational resources on telecom safety and cyber risks.
