Sanchar Saathi rollout: Why the Centre's mandate has sparked a national privacy debate

Sanchar Saathi bundles multiple services meant to help users secure their devices and report fraud.

The Centre, on Monday, directed all smartphone manufacturers and importers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on every device made or sold in India.

The order, issued on November 28, gives companies 90 days to comply and 120 days to file a report.

Devices already in the retail pipeline must receive the app through software updates.

Notably, this marks the first time India has mandated a permanent, non-removable government application on all smartphones. The government's move has triggered sharp concerns over privacy, state overreach and constitutional rights.

What is Sanchar Saathi?

Sanchar Saathi is a telecom security platform developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It enables users to verify a device's IMEI number, check if a phone is blacklisted or stolen, report a lost handset and block it from misuse. It also enables subscribers to view all mobile numbers issued in their name and report suspicious telecom activity.

The government describes it as a “citizen-centric” initiative aimed at empowering users and preventing fraud, available both as an app and through a web portal.

The system, as per government officials, has helped recover hundreds of thousands of lost and stolen phones, which is why the Centre believes pre-installing it on every device will make the service easier to access. Under the mandate, the app must be clearly visible during first-time setup and cannot be hidden, disabled, or uninstalled.

Sanchar Saathi bundles multiple services meant to help users secure their devices and report fraud.

Its most prominent feature is Chakshu, a tool for flagging suspected scam communications, including impersonation as government officials or regulators, investment fraud, fake KYC alerts, and messages linked to banks, utilities, insurance and other entities. The app page clarifies that Chakshu is not a platform for filing cybercrime complaints.

Users can also report spam and unsolicited commercial calls or texts, which are handled under TRAI’s 2018 TCCCPR rules. Beyond this, the app allows reporting of malicious URLs, phishing attempts, unverified APKs, device cloning efforts and other cybersecurity threats across SMS, RCS, iMessage and messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Another core feature enables users to block and trace lost or stolen devices. Once a phone is blocked via its IMEI number, any attempt to use it triggers a trace request; the device can be unblocked through the app or portal once recovered. The app is available on both Android and iOS.

Centre's mandate: Reason behind it

The Centre, in its directive, states that duplicate or tampered IMEI numbers pose a growing threat to telecom security. When a single IMEI appears across multiple devices, investigators find it difficult to identify suspects in cases involving cybercrime, fraud, or terror-related activity.

It has also pointed out India’s extensive second-hand phone market, where stolen or blacklisted devices often re-enter circulation. Buyers may unknowingly purchase such devices, only to face liability later.

According to the government, embedding Sanchar Saathi on all devices will make IMEI verification universal and crack down on the grey market.

The order has been issued under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, which empower the government to create systems to detect and prevent telecom-related threats. The app does not access personal or behavioural data and is meant solely as a security tool, as per government officials.

What are the surveillance concerns being flagged

The Centre’s order mandating Sanchar Saathi as a compulsory, non-removable app on all smartphones quickly triggered strong criticism from cybersecurity experts, digital rights groups, and the Opposition.

Manufacturers, as per a Financial Express report, have warned of major operational hurdles.

The sharper backlash, nonetheless, stems from privacy concerns.

The app requires extensive permissions, including access to call and SMS logs, the ability to make and manage calls, send messages, and use the camera and files. This is raising fears and concerns about likely surveillance.

According to digital rights advocates, forcing a state-run app onto every device sets a dangerous precedent. Embedding it at the system level, they argue, could allow expanded access or new permissions in the future, especially without strong data-protection safeguards.

Opposition leaders are calling the mandate intrusive.

Aaditya Thackeray termed it “dictatorship, without calling it so,” while CPI(M) MP John Brittas mocked it as the government’s “grand plan for citizen empowerment.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Tuesday, sharply criticised the Centre’s directive, calling it “a snooping app” and a grave breach of citizens’ privacy. “It’s ridiculous,” she told reporters in Delhi, arguing that people must have the freedom to communicate with family and friends “without the government looking at everything.”

Accusing the Centre of “turning this country into a dictatorship in every form,” she said Parliament itself had stalled because the government was “refusing to discuss anything” and was instead blaming the Opposition.

Congress’ KC Venugopal and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi have described it as a “Big Brother” move that violates the spirit of India’s privacy rulings.

This is, in fact, the first time India has required a permanent government app on all phones. This move is being compared to countries with far more centralised digital control by critics.

Concerns have also been raised about the opaque rollout.

The order was not made public, nor was there any consultation with industry or civil society groups. Opposition and digital rights activists claim this lack of transparency reflects a broader pattern of pushing digital mandates without oversight, normalising surveillance in the name of cybersecurity.

Why the Opposition is protesting the mandatory rollout

Opposition parties have condemned the mandate as unconstitutional, arguing that it violates the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21. The Opposition is alleging that the government is attempting to create a permanent presence on personal devices, potentially monitoring movement, interactions and everyday digital behaviour.

The Congress has demanded that the order be withdrawn immediately, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) has warned of widespread resistance if the app is not made optional.

The DoT, however, describes Sanchar Saathi as a “citizen-centric” platform aimed at empowering mobile users, strengthening security, and improving awareness of government initiatives.

In the meantime, global manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, and Google, must now modify production processes to embed the app on all new devices. Apart from that, phones already in the market will receive the app through over-the-air updates.

Non-compliance may attract penalties under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecom Cyber Security Rules.

It should also be mentioned here, the rollout aligns with the DoT’s recent push to require messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram to implement SIM-binding, restricting users from accessing these apps without the original SIM used during registration.

Since its launch in January, Sanchar Saathi has gained significant traction, recording more than 50 lakh downloads by August. As per a government release this September, the platform has enabled the blocking of over 37.28 lakh lost or stolen phones and helped trace and recover more than 22.76 lakh devices.