Can Sanchar Saathi really access your data? BJP’s Sambit Patra refutes surveillance allegations

In the past few days, the government-mandated app Sanchar Saathi launched by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been at the centre of a controversy, with several political and public figures raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. Last Tuesday, at a press conference held by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sambit Patra, the controversy over the app was once again brought into the spotlight.

Sambit Patra – addressing reports that the app can read and listen to private messages and calls, and other such rumours – explained the app does not collect this personal data, much less share it with authorities.

“As far as Sanchar Saathi is concerned, it cannot read your messages. It cannot listen to your calls…. It cannot access your private or personal data,” Patra said at a press conference, setting the record straight.

As of now, all users are required to pre-install the app on their smartphones in order to access network services.

What is Sanchar Saathi and what does it claim to do?

In May 2023, DoT had launched Sanchar Saathi app as an effort to empower mobile security for users.

The stated purpose of the app is to protect users from SIM-related frauds and mobile thefts by providing services such as reporting suspected fraud calls, keeping a track of lost or stolen mobile phones, and checking devices or connections before buying.

Why are privacy and mandatory pre-installation the big issue?

The controversy around Sanchar Saathi started recently, following the DoT directive, last month, for pre-installing Sanchar Saathi on all new mobile phones, including 2G, 3G and 4G, sold in India(BHARAT) and on existing phones via an over-the-air update.

This mandate has raised eyebrows of digital rights activists as well as Opposition political parties in the country, who have warned this app and the requirement of mandatory pre-installation is an infringement on user privacy and autonomy. The fear that the app, which is pre-installed on new phones or comes with software updates to existing ones, can overstep its purpose and start collecting personal data including call logs, messages or other sensitive information, to surveil citizens.

Opposition MPs and members of the parliament have also objected to this move on constitutional grounds and in the name of civil liberties, arguing that a pre-installation that forces a person to install an app without his or her knowledge is a violation of personal rights.

Unease has also been expressed by smartphone manufacturers and multinational tech companies over the pre-installation order, with some reports stating that some of the major global brands are also conducting a legal and privacy review on this issue.

Defending the move, the government at the press conference by BJP MP Sambit Patra, while denying that Sanchar Saathi is a surveillance tool, argued that if one is concerned of the government using an app to overreach and harass, the said person can be assured that the app will not be found on his phone: “those who are getting nervous about this app are the ones who are getting suspicious of wrongdoing, should first of all see their phone. You will most likely not find Sanchar Saathi installed,” Patra said.

The government has said Sanchar Saathi is for the protection and betterment of users, and was built to provide users with self-empowerment tools in the telecom sector, rather than government overreach. “It only enables theft tracking, e-filing of fraud complaints and ensuring end-to-end telecom security,” Patra explained.

DoT, in various statements also reiterated the app is aimed at giving users the facility to protect themselves from cyber-fraud, phone theft and more.

The future of this controversy – and why it matters?

As of now, DoT’s mandate for pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi on all new phones – smartphones makers have been given a 90-day time frame to comply with the order – and software update on old devices still stands.

At the ground level, consumer trust still needs to be won, and is a work in progress. For many consumers in India(BHARAT), mandating the installation of an app, while at the same time assuring users of its benign intent, still leaves them with unease and suspicion about consent, choice, transparency, and potential abuse in the future.

The India(BHARAT)n smartphone user base is massive and hugely diverse, with hundreds of millions of people from all walks of life across socio-economic segments buying phones and using network services every year. An app that makes entry into user telecom identities and device management can potentially impact the notion of digital rights in a big way.