New Delhi (HRNW)- iPhone maker Apple has flatly refused to comply with the Indian government’s order to make the official cybersecurity application ‘Sanchar Saathi’ mandatory pre-load on all smartphones.
According to a foreign news agency, Apple has decided not to comply with this government directive and will soon convey its concerns to the Indian authorities in this regard. The company maintains that this move raises serious concerns about user surveillance and privacy.
The Indian government has instructed major smartphone companies including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi to include the official app ‘Sanchar Saathi’ in their new phones within the next 90 days, while it should also be installed in phones already in the market through software updates. The government maintains that this app is necessary to detect phones in case of theft, block them and prevent misuse, and users cannot disable it.
The telecom ministry has called it a major cybersecurity measure, but the move has been heavily criticised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political opponents and digital privacy experts. Critics say the move could give the government direct access to the country’s 730 million smartphone users, which could compromise privacy.
According to industry sources, Apple will tell Indian authorities that it does not comply with such government restrictions in any country in the world because they could seriously undermine privacy and security in the iOS ecosystem. Apple has no plans to go to court or take a public stand, the sources said, but it will make it clear to the government that such an order is unacceptable due to security vulnerabilities.
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