Sanchar Saathi: A Security Tool or the Beginning of a Surveillance State?

The Government of India has now made it mandatory for all mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on every device sold in the country — and in a form that cannot be deleted or disabled by the user.

On paper, the app promises noble objectives: blocking stolen phones, tracing lost devices, preventing fraud, and curbing the black market for IMEI-cloned handsets. These are legitimate concerns in a country with millions of mobile thefts and widespread cyber-fraud.

But beneath these stated intentions lies a troubling question: What else could an undeletable, government-controlled app on every smartphone enable?

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A Familiar Warning From Our Recent Past

India has already witnessed how surveillance technology can quietly enter personal devices.
The Pegasus scandal revealed that advanced spyware was found on the phones of opposition leaders, journalists, and activists. When asked whether Pegasus was purchased or used, the government refused to answer, citing “national security.” We still do not know the full truth.

Sanchar Saathi, by contrast, doesn’t need covert installation. It now comes preloaded on every new phone — with no opt-out.

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Legal Environment Favors State Over Citizen

The new Digital Personal Data Protection Act gives the government broad exemptions from data-protection rules “in the interest of sovereignty and public order.”
It also prohibits journalists from publishing “personal information,” effectively shielding the State from public scrutiny while exposing citizens to unprecedented monitoring.

In such an environment, trust must be earned, not demanded.

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The Danger of Silent Updates

Most users accept app permissions and updates without reading them.
A mandatory system app can evolve quietly through updates — expanding its access to location, metadata, communication patterns, or device activity. By the time the public realizes the scope of surveillance, hundreds of millions of phones will already be running it.

There will be no uninstall button.

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The Real Issue

Sanchar Saathi may be presented as a safety tool. But without transparency, independent audits, or the ability to opt out, it risks turning every smartphone into a potential monitoring device — and every citizen into a data point under watch.

A democracy must protect the freedom and privacy of its people. Mandatory surveillance infrastructure, however well-packaged, takes us in the opposite direction.

02-12-2025