Apple to Resist India's Order to Preload Government App on iPhones

[MacRumors]

Apple will resist a new Indian government directive that would require all iPhones sold in the country to ship with a preinstalled state-run security app, reports Reuters.

This week, India's Department of Telecommunications ordered all smartphone makers to preload Sanchar Saathi, a non-removable government app designed to help users block stolen devices, report fraudulent calls, and verify second-hand phones.

The app includes detailed tracking functionality controlled by the government, potentially opening a pathway for broad data access and potential surveillance, so there are privacy and security implications for iPhone users.

According to The Business Standard, citing industry sources familiar with the matter, Apple has informed officials it does not plan to comply with the requirement. The company will reportedly tell the government it does not follow such mandates anywhere in the world as they raise a host of privacy and security issues for the company's iOS ecosystem.

Apple's resistance to the directive will put added pressure on New Delhi, with political opposition parties already accusing the government of overreach.

In response to the criticism, India's telecom minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Tuesday said the app was "completely optional," adding that users can choose to activate it and can "easily delete it from their phone at any time." Scindia rejected allegations of surveillance, stating the app contains no provisions for snooping or call monitoring.

There are more than 700 million smartphone users in India, so any final decision will have major implications for how much control the government can exert over device software and how far tech companies like Apple can go in enforcing their own privacy standards.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple to Resist India's Order to Preload Government App on iPhones

 

[ForkHandles]

My money is on India!

Foreign companies are only allowed into India’s markets by permission given by the government.

There are no super markets for example. No 7-11 network that sells cheap and puts the tens of millions of sole traders out of business.

Apple has to open a factory to be able to operate within the country. The Indian government needs balance in order to grant permissions.

I’d be surprised if Apple continued to have access whilst resisting the governments efforts to make online trade more secure.

Obviously Apple has to resist, the demands are at the very least contentious. That said I think the Indians have the leverage.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

I gotta be with Apple on this one, bugger off with that nonsense.

The scam call centres that operate only do so with the full political, police and judicial backing, and unless something changes massively everything else is just performative bs.

I get so many scam and spam calls that I personally have kept "silence unknown callers" as the default mode on my iPhone with the ringer and all calls allowed option only when I'm truly expecting a new call.

 

[macfacts]

no one is forcing apple to sell in India and it is up to citizens of India to tell their government they don't want pre-installed apps for privacy.

 

[timber]

When Apple finds the same backbone dealing with China I will become much less cynical than today.

 

[Le0M]

The company will reportedly tell the government it does not follow such mandates anywhere in the world as they raise a host of privacy and security issues for the company's iOS ecosystem.

I wish that were true for iCloud in China as well.

But no, here all data is in the hands of a government-controlled company.
God knows if they actually manage to decipher user's data without no one's consent.

 

[macbookj0e]

Apple, Samsung and all other manufacturers should come together and form an agreement to disagree to these practices worldwide.

 

[chmania]

This week, India's Department of Telecommunications ordered all smartphone makers to preload Sanchar Saathi, a non-removable government app designed to help users block stolen devices, report fraudulent calls, and verify second-hand phones.

Well, there's nothing anyone can do about that, as that's a government order. India is a large country!
The BJP has 303 seats out of 542, which is 56%. The next largest party has only 52 seats.

There are more than 700 million smartphone users in India...

Which is practically more than twice the population of the US.

 

[neuropsychguy]

When Apple finds the same backbone dealing with China I will become much less cynical than today.

How about just focusing on the country and issue at hand (India's law) and not getting distracted by other issues? China's issues are not easily solvable. This new law in India might be much more solvable by the government and Apple/other phone manufacturers.

 

[chmania]

This new law in India might be much more solvable by the government and Apple/other phone manufacturers.

Not really. Remember how India became one of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers? Or how it resisted importing foreign-made cars for years? If needed, India can become (at least the second) largest phone manufacturer in the world. It can produce its own mobile phones, with full government backing, just like it did with medicine. India's ruling party can effectively win any legislation and withstand any foreign political pressure. India has evolved!

 

[iPadified]

Apple, Samsung and all other manufacturers should come together and form an agreement to disagree to these practices worldwide.

Are you suggesting that big corp shall dictate business practices in other countries instead of adapting to said countries practices?

Apple and others have gotten too big and lost all sense of them adhering to (local) laws and business practices. Very commonly seen in politicians and other people in power. "The law does not apply to them".

 

[neuropsychguy]

Not really. Remember how India became one of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers? Or how it resisted importing foreign-made cars for years? If needed, India can become (at least the second) largest phone manufacturer in the world. It can produce its own mobile phones, with full government backing, just like it did with medicine. India's ruling party can effectively win any legislation and withstand any foreign political pressure. India has evolved!

I’m sorry, I don’t understand what your reply has to do with my comment, which was redirecting a commenter back to the topic of this article rather than getting distracted by China. Can you clarify what your comment means?

 

[timber]

How about just focusing on the country and issue at hand (India's law) and not getting distracted by other issues? China's issues are not easily solvable. This new law in India might be much more solvable by the government and Apple/other phone manufacturers.

If there wasn't an underlying preachy general attitude that would probably be the easier to understand modus operandi.

 

[iPadified]

Not really. Remember how India became one of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers? Or how it resisted importing foreign-made cars for years? If needed, India can become (at least the second) largest phone manufacturer in the world. It can produce its own mobile phones, with full government backing, just like it did with medicine. India's ruling party can effectively win any legislation and withstand any foreign political pressure. India has evolved!

Think you touches on something important here. There are new players in the world that are large enough to live without the "west". These economic regiions are large enough to go its own way. It seems that Apple (and others) has missed the boat completely how to navigate is this new reality.

 

[neuropsychguy]

If there wasn't an underlying preachy general attitude that would probably be the easier to understand modus operandi.

You're reading an attitude into my comment that isn't there. My point is purely practical: let's fix what is actually fixable. Fixing the issues in China will require hundreds of billions of dollars to move all infrastructure out of there and/or a new form of government in China. Those take time. Besides, that is all off topic about this current law in India.

 

[timber]

You're reading an attitude into my comment that isn't there. My point is purely practical: let's fix what is actually fixable. Fixing the issues in China will require hundreds of billions of dollars to move all infrastructure out of there and/or a new form of government in China. Those take time. Besides, that is all off topic about this current law in India.

Perhaps I expressed myself poorly. I wasn't taking about you (your attitude seems excellent to me) but Apple stance on these issues.
I understand all the issues on circumventing China. You just can't have it both ways (from the moral high ground pov).

 

[nuff_said]

Think you touches on something important here. There are new players in the world that are large enough to live without the "west". These economic regiions are large enough to go its own way. It seems that Apple (and others) has missed the boat completely how to navigate is this new reality.

I remember hearing a comment from Bill Clinton once about how - paraphrasing - America will introduce Democracy into China. The rebuttal was, the West forgot it loves money more than Democracy.

That’s still true today even when speaking about India: the worlds largest Democracy. I’m sure with 700M smartphones in India and all the money Apple will leave on the table, they’ll delay this. I’m from the school of thought that Timmy will delay items like this for the next CEO to manage.

Whoever is in charge next will have a lot of big items to handle, and I’m not sure how that person will guide Apple into YoY profits for decades.

 

[chmania]

Think you touches on something important here. There are new players in the world that are large enough to live without the "west". These economic regiions are large enough to go its own way. It seems that Apple (and others) has missed the boat completely how to navigate is this new reality.

When most people mention China, India, etc., they think of the name of the country but often fail to grasp that these countries are vast and produce massive amounts of engineers, with their governments supporting various technological advancements. The era of "poor labour" is long gone. Additionally, the times when people in the West could bully or sanction them are also in the past.

 

[surferfb]

Good. They should push back on terrible laws. And they should be willing to leave the country over it if the government won’t back down.

I’m shocked so many MacRumors forum posters would support an increasingly authoritarian regime in India as they try to force mass surveillance on their citizens. But clearly Apple can’t do anything right in some people’s minds.

 

[whatnot]

India's ruling party can effectively win any legislation and withstand any foreign political pressure. India has evolved!

it can only 'win every legislation' because it has consolidated all power to the extent that it can rubber stamp anything it wants - peak evolution.

 

[chmania]

Good. They should push back on terrible laws. And they should be willing to leave the country over it if the government won’t back down.

I’m shocked so many MacRumors forum posters would support an increasingly authoritarian regime in India as they try to force mass surveillance on their citizens.

Apple is not a government! Apple doesn't have to feed the people, educate them, keep them healthy, or defend a country; all it needs to do is make money!

 

[surferfb]

Apple is not a government! Apple doesn't have to feed the people, educate them, keep them healthy, or defend a country; all it needs to do is make money!

Never said Apple was. But they shouldn’t help governments do bad things either.

 

[Rafagon]

As they should!

 

[chmania]

Never said Apple was. But they shouldn’t help governments do bad things either.

Sure, it is India's government, not the US one. India can create its own laws, regardless of US companies.

 

[surferfb]

Sure, it is India's government, not the US one. India can create its own laws, regardless of US companies.

Never said they couldn’t. But Apple absolutely should push back on bad laws on behalf of their customers.

Have you even looked at the law you’re defending here?