Technical

Srinivasa Reddy Kandi: India Moves to Track Every Smartphone: Expanded Verification Rules Spark Privacy Debate

December, 05, 2025-04:58

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India Moves to Track Every Smartphone: Expanded Verification Rules Spark Privacy Debate:

India is broadening its national anti-theft and cybersecurity program to cover all smartphones in circulation — new and used — in an effort to curb device theft, fraud, and IMEI-related crimes. However, the expansion is triggering renewed concerns about user privacy and government overreach.

As part of the updated policy, the telecom ministry now requires companies that buy, sell, or trade used smartphones to verify each device against a central IMEI database. This comes shortly after the government ordered smartphone makers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices and push it to existing phones via software updates.

The initiative was first reported by Reuters and later confirmed by the telecom ministry.

Launched in 2023, Sanchar Saathi enables users to block and trace lost or stolen devices. According to official data:
4.2 million devices have been blocked
2.6 million devices have been traced
The updated app version, released in January, has helped recover 700,000 phones, including 50,000 in October alone

Adoption has surged, with 15 million downloads and 3 million monthly active users in November — a 600% increase from launch month. Website traffic has also risen significantly year-over-year.Despite growing usage, the government’s mandate to bundle Sanchar Saathi with every phone has drawn strong criticism from privacy advocates, civil society groups, and opposition leaders. Critics argue the app could expand state access to personal devices without sufficient oversight or clarity.

Telecom minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia responded by calling Sanchar Saathi a “completely voluntary and democratic system,” insisting users may delete it if they choose. However, the directive reviewed by TechCrunch instructs manufacturers to ensure the app is visible during device setup and that its features cannot be restricted or disabled, raising doubts about how optional the app truly is.

Author: Kandi Srinivasa Reddy, Srinivasa Reddy Kandi, #KandiSrinivasaReddy, #SrinivasaReddyKandi