ICEA hails Sanchar Saathi rollback, says security works best without compulsion

India's top mobile-device manufacturers on Wednesday, 3 December welcomed the Centre’s decision to withdraw its controversial order requiring every new smartphone to carry a pre-installed government security app, arguing that cybersecurity succeeds only when uptake is voluntary and rooted in transparency.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) — representing firms such as Apple, Google, Vivo and Oppo — said it supports measures to strengthen digital safety but cautioned that mandates often undermine user trust rather than build it. Adoption, the body stressed, improves when policies are clear, technically sound and respectful of consumer autonomy.

The rollback came after two days of political criticism and pushback from privacy groups, who warned that compulsory installation of the state-run Sanchar Saathi app risked creating a backdoor for monitoring communications, likening the fears to past Pegasus surveillance allegations. Several global manufacturers were also understood to have raised concerns over the 28 November directive, prompting a rapid reassessment inside the government.

Officials maintained that the app simply helps track stolen devices and block their misuse and insisted it will remain available for voluntary download. The Department of Telecommunications said the earlier mandate aimed to extend tools that assist users reporting online fraud or lost phones, not to compromise privacy.

ICEA chairperson Pankaj Mohindroo welcomed the decision, noting that national security remains paramount but must be pursued through policies developed with full industry participation. He said the withdrawal underscored why “deep and inclusive consultation” is critical for framing digital-security rules that are both enforceable and technologically aligned with ground realities.

As India’s digital and electronics markets expand rapidly, Mohindroo said the responsibility to uphold trust and safeguard strategic interests only grows heavier. He reiterated that the industry stands fully aligned with national imperatives but believes certainty and collaborative policy design are essential for long-term resilience.

Digital-rights advocates, however, argued that the rollback only partially addresses the underlying problem. Mishi Choudhary, founder of SFLC.in, said arbitrary or poorly designed interventions — whether apps or other mechanisms — do little to curb fraud. She pointed to the still-pending SIM-binding mandate as an example of a technically flawed approach that, in her view, will burden users without addressing core fraud vectors.

Choudhary said the government should instead focus on the channels actually exploited by criminals: phishing and smishing attacks, remote-access malware, SIM swaps, mule bank accounts, predatory loan apps and offshore call centres. These, she argued, demand stronger financial-system controls rather than phone-side fixes dressed up as cybersecurity solutions.

With agency inputs