Scindia rejects snooping fears, says Sanchar Saathi app ‘voluntary’ and can be deleted
PTC Web Desk: Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday dismissed allegations that the government-backed Sanchar Saathi app could be used to monitor citizens, insisting in Parliament that the platform neither collects private data nor enables any form of surveillance.
Facing a wave of criticism from opposition MPs over the Centre’s directive mandating the app’s installation on all new smartphones sold in India, Scindia reiterated that the tool is “completely voluntary” and can be removed at the user’s discretion.
“Snooping is neither possible nor permissible through the Sanchar Saathi app,” he told the Lok Sabha, adding “Every citizen in a democracy has the right to delete any app. This one is no different. We only wanted the app to be accessible to all.”
The minister also indicated the government was open to altering its earlier order based on public feedback. He argued that the app’s effectiveness depended on people choosing to use it, not on compulsory installation.
Scindia’s Parliament statement echoed his earlier post on X, where he stressed that the app activates only when a user registers, countering concerns that it could run secretly in the background.
Outside Parliament, Scindia likened the situation to pre-installed applications such as Google Maps, remarking that users are free to delete or disable them. Critics, however, pointed out that while Maps can be removed on iPhones, Android devices allow only disabling, not complete deletion.
The Opposition continued to press the government, raising parallels with the Pegasus spyware controversy of 2021. Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda questioned whether users could be certain all functions were disabled after deletion.
Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Karti Chidambaram went a step further, accusing the Centre of pushing India towards a surveillance state. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the move “ridiculous”, warning of an assault on citizens’ right to privacy, while Chidambaram claimed the government wanted access to people’s “private photos and videos”.
Other opposition voices, including Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, described the policy as another attempt at “Big Boss-style surveillance”.
What is Sanchar Saathi platform?
Developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Sanchar Saathi functions as a cybersecurity and awareness ecosystem. Available both as a mobile app and a web portal, it offers services such as assistance in managing digital identities, reporting fraudulent activity, tracking lost devices and providing guidance on telecom safety.
Civil society groups, however, have raised concerns about the extent of permissions required by the app and the initial insistence that it could not be removed, arguing that such access may compromise user trust.
- With inputs from agencies
