India Orders Apple to Preinstall Government Security App on All iPhones

[MacRumors]

India is requiring smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung to preload devices sold in the country with a state-owned cyber security app that can't be deleted, reports Reuters.

The Department of Communications in India is giving smartphone companies 90 days to begin preinstalling the Sanchar Saathi government app on all new devices that are sold. It has also requested that manufacturers push software updates to devices that are already in the supply chain.

Users are supposed to be informed of the app at the first use or when the device is set up, and the app's feature set is not able to be turned off or restricted.

India is aiming to cut down on fraud and cyber crime, and the app is supposedly meant to provide additional security to smartphone users while also informing them about government initiatives. It is able to verify the authenticity of IMEIs to prevent stolen devices from being used with duplicate or spoofed identifiers.

A website for the app says that it lets users report suspected fraud, block and track lost or stolen devices from being used, verify the authenticity of a device, report international spam calls, and verify telephone numbers. The app includes detailed tracking functionality controlled by the government, so there are privacy and security implications for iPhone users.

The majority of smartphone users in India have Android devices, and it's a market that Apple is trying to expand in. Apple has not acquiesced to a government request for a fully preloaded iPhone app, so it will presumably find a way around India's mandate. Counterpoint Research told Reuters that Apple will likely negotiate for a middle ground, such as informing users of the app rather than preinstalling it.

Russia has a similar preinstall mandate for government-approved apps. During setup, iPhones in Russia have a prompt suggesting users install the apps, but opting out is possible.

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: India Orders Apple to Preinstall Government Security App on All iPhones

 

[madmin]

Oh, so they'll didn't curry any favours ?

 

[jz0309]

India is aiming to cut down on fraud and cyber crime, and the app is supposedly meant to provide additional security to smartphone users while also informing them about government initiatives

Sure, and nothing more than that, right?
Big brother is watching you ...

 

[Spinarelo]

This is for your safety and to protect you.... But it's mandatory and you don't have a choice..😂

 

[MallardDuck]

Ironic given the 1984 Mac ad....

 

[sw1tcher]

In before someone says Apple should pull out of India. Or try this first.

 

[Starfia]

You'd think there would be more folk songs and hymns about governments designing consumer tech by now. They always do such an incredible job at it.

 

[hieranonymous]

India itself is the single biggest source of the kind of fraud that this app supposedly addresses. Talk about owning the whole widget!

 

[gnipgnop]

Swapping India for China isn't looking like much of a difference.

 

[masterhiggins]

Lol. No thanks, saaar

 

[drumcat]

Swapping India for China isn't looking like much of a difference.

Or America.

 

[Tig_one]

You can just pull out of the EU... oh wait.

 

[boswald]

Wow. Just wow. I don't know what else to say.

 

[Jetson]

Surely Apple will not comply with this authoritarian demand?

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - Jesus

 

[flexwithmarius]

Surely Apple will not comply with this authoritarian demand?

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - Jesus

Brother, these people don’t worship Jesus. Their “god” is money and power.

 

[ipedro]

Almost every scammer call I get is from someone with an Indian accent so possibly this is what it's trying to address:

‘Scamming became the new farming’: inside India’s cybercrime villages

The long read: How did an obscure district in a neglected state become India’s byword for digital deceit?

www.theguardian.com

 

[AngstyKylo]

India itself is the single biggest source of the kind of fraud that this app supposedly addresses. Talk about owning the whole widget!

I mean there's an election coming up and they want to suppress oposition, more than what they're doing already

Brother, these people don’t worship Jesus. Their “god” is money and power.

If you took money out of religion it wouldn't really exist either.

 

[Glideslope]

Oh, so they'll didn't curry any favours ?

This made my afternoon.

 

[switz]

True of every religion. It has always been about the money (cash, food donations, tithing etc)

 

[Rafagon]

I don't see why Apple is letting these poor countries order it around. First Singapore, now India?

 

[I7guy]

State ordered app. Totally benign.

 

[stars_fan]

Oh, so they'll didn't curry any favours ?

I smell what you did there

 

[Spinarelo]

I don't see why Apple is letting these poor countries order it around. First Singapore, now India?

While there is a lot of poverty in India, the country itself is not considered a poor country as they have the the 4th or 5th largest economy in terms of GDP.... The wealth is just very unevenly distributed...

 

[bgillander]

I don't see why Apple is letting these poor countries order it around. First Singapore, now India?

Ouch, that seems poorly stated on so many levels. Just FYI, India is the fifth largest economy in the world.

 

[whatnot]

I don't see why Apple is letting these poor countries order it around.

In light of today's ruling by some peasant state, Apple announced that it's ceasing assembly of its shiny overpriced trinkets in all poor countries, effective immediately: "From now on, all Apple products will made in Bunter, Ohio, so we can finally start charging a rich country premium we so deserve".