⚠️ India Orders All New Phones to Preload Undeletable State-Owned Security App

The Indian Government now requires all new smartphones sold in the country to come with the government’s cyber-security app Sanchar Saathi pre-installed and users won’t be able to delete it.

The directive gives phone makers 90 days to comply; older phones will receive the app via mandatory updates.

Officials argue it’ll help fight phone theft, cloned IMEIs and rampant cyber-fraud; making it easier to track lost or stolen devices and block fake connections.

But critics warn this is a serious privacy and user-choice violation: a government app baked into every phone, with no opt-out.

Source: Reuters