New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) As a government order to manufacturers to preload a state-run cybersecurity app, Sanchar Saathi, on all phones kicked up a privacy row, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday appeared to soften the stance, saying users are free to delete it if they so wish, and that it will remain inactive till they register on it.

The November 28 order from his ministry directed smartphone makers to pre-install the app on all new devices and push it through updates on older ones. Many opposition leaders and critics saw it as a snooping attempt, as they felt the app could listen to calls and monitor messages.

Some phone makers, such as Apple, were reportedly opposed to the mandate. Sources said Apple would discuss the issue with the government and work out a middle path, as the order cannot be implemented in its current form.

Scindia stepped in to diffuse the crisis and denied allegations that it was an app for snooping.

"If you want to delete it, then delete it," Scindia told reporters outside Parliament.

"But not everyone in the country knows that this app exists to protect them from fraud and theft." While the November 28 order stated that the makers have to ensure that the functionalities of the app are not "disabled or restricted", it wasn't immediately clear if the app will be embedded in the operating software or is proposed to be a secondary one.

Tech experts said any app, if embedded in the operating system, cannot be deleted by users. Some secondary apps, while not being visible on the home screen, may continue to run in the background.

Some experts point out that the Sanchar Saathi app, like most other apps, seeks access to call logs, phone camera, notifications, phone dialer app, and SMS.

The move mimics a similar mandate issued by Russia in August, requiring a state-backed messaging app MAX to be pre-installed on all smartphones.

Denying the Opposition's charges, Scindia asserted that there was no snooping or call monitoring through the app.

"It is our responsibility to make this app reach everyone. If you want to delete it, then delete it. If you don't want to use it, then don't register it. If you register it, then it will remain active. If you don't register it, then it will remain inactive," he said.

Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani on Tuesday said that Sanchar Saathi app-related matters have been discussed with all mobile phone players in a working group, except Apple, as it did not participate in it.

The minister told PTI that the Sanchar Saathi app is like any other app, which can be activated and deleted by consumers, and it is meant to ease reporting of online fraud and trace lost mobile phones, among others.

An industry source said that Apple will discuss the order on Sanchar Saathi app installation and work out a middle path with the government.

The company may not be able to implement the order in the current form, according to sources.

The government maintains that the app is crucial to counter "serious endangerment" to telecom cybersecurity from duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers, which enable scams and network misuse.

IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identity is a 14 to 17-digit number, unique to each handset, which is used to cut off network access for phones reported to have been stolen.

"Everyone must have the right to privacy to send messages to family and friends without the government looking at everything," Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, criticising the mandate for installing the app.

As per the direction issued, all mobile phone companies are required to report compliance to the DoT within 120 days.

Earlier in the day, Congress leaders criticised the order of the DoT to mandatorily install the Sanchar Saathi App in all mobile phones.

Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury filed an adjournment motion notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking suspension of business to discuss the government's latest directions on the Sanchar Saathi app.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal had said on Monday that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty.

Scindia pointed out that the Opposition is just trying to find an issue out of nowhere and countered the allegation that it was an app for snooping.

"This is a step towards public participation. In this, people should not object; people should welcome. On the basis of this, when you buy a mobile phone, on the basis of that, whether the IMEI number is fake or genuine, you can recognise it on the basis of the Sanchar Saathi app," the minister said.

He said there have been more than 1.5 crore downloads of the Sanchar Saathi App. The minister said that to date, approximately 2.75 crore fraudulent mobile connections have been disconnected, and approximately 20 lakh stolen phones have been traced on the basis of public participation through Sanchar Saathi.

The minister said approximately 7.5 lakh stolen phones have been returned to the user, and approximately 21 lakh phones have been disconnected on the basis of user recognition and reporting.

He further said that on one side, the power of telecommunications is connecting citizens, and on the other side, there are forces who are misusing its power to commit fraud, steal money and mobile phones. The minister asserted that the app is meant to protect customers.

"If an app is embedded in the operating system, then it cannot be deleted by users. Some apps that masquerade themselves as system app, even if deleted, can continue to run in the background. The Sanchar Saathi app, like most other apps, seeks user access to call logs, sms, phone camera and notifications. After a clarification from the Union Telecom Minister, we are yet to see any amended order to clarify that the app can be deleted," technology industry expert and Techshots CEO Akhilesh Shukla said.

CUTS International, Director for Research, Amol Kulkarni, said, despite good intentions, the mandate to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on mobile handsets without any prior public consultation raises key concerns regarding expectations from citizens to blindly trust the government without questioning, and the inability of the government to suggest superior privacy-enhancing and choice-respecting alternatives.

"There is no clarity on what happens if it is realised that Sanchaar Saathi collects more data than necessary, in violation of purpose limitation requirements of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, many provisions of which are not applicable to the government," Kulkarni said. PTI PRS MBI ANZ CS MBI BAL BAL