Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed on smartphones is optional, says Jyotiraditya Scindia amid privacy concerns. Photos: ANI, X.
Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday clarified that the government’s Sanchar Saathi app, which has been directed to be pre-installed on all smartphones, can be deleted by users if they wish. His remarks come amid growing privacy concerns following the government’s directive to smartphone manufacturers.
“If you don’t want Sanchar Saathi, you can delete it. It is optional,” Scindia told ANI on December 2.
He further explained, “It is our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Keeping it in their devices or not is up to the user.”
Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shashank Mani Tripathi defended the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) decision, stating that making the app pre-installed on mobile phones would enhance the sense of security among users.
Earlier opposition had strongly criticised the move, with the Congress party on Monday demanding that the order be rolled back immediately.
Taking to X, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called the move “beyond unconstitutional,” writing that “Big Brother cannot watch us.” He said the right to privacy flows directly from Article 21, which guarantees the fundamental right to life and liberty.
Calling the app “a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian,” Venugopal alleged it would allow the government to oversee “every movement, interaction and decision” of citizens.
Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla also criticised the government’s decision, posting on X, “We will defeat the Govt move to order phone manufacturers to pre-install the undeletable Sanchar Saathi on all new phones sold in India & to push it on existing phones via updates. We will defeat this order constitutionally & democratically! Jai Hind Jai Bharat Jai Constitution!”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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