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Priyanka says mandatory pre-install of Sanchar Saathi shows country slipping into dictatorship

NEW DELHI: With the Department of Telecom asking mobile phone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi application in new handsets, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday described it as a snooping app and alleged that the government is turning the country into a dictatorship. The Department of Telecom (DoT) directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days. Asked about the issue by reporters outside Parliament, she said, You are calling it a snooping app so you know what it is. So it is a snooping app. Clearly, it is ridiculous...citizens have their right to privacy, even all of you must be having the right to privacy to send your messages to family, friends, without the government looking at everything. It is not just one thing, it is not just snooping on the telephones, it is overall, they are turning this country into dictatorship in every form. You ask me everyday, why Parliament is not functioning, it is not functioning as they (the government) are refusing to talk about anything, the Congress general secretary said. She said it is very easy to blame the opposition but the government is not allowing any discussion on anything. And that is not democracy, she alleged. A healthy democracy demands discussions, everybody has views, you hear them out, Gandhi said. Big Brother move? Centre orders smartphone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app Asked whether the DoT order should be rolled back, she said, They should do it. We will discuss today to finalise what our stand is. On the argument that the app is for reporting fraud and essential for national security, she said there should be an effective system to report fraud and we have discussed this at greater length on cyber security and definitely there is a need for cyber security but that does not mean that it gives you an excuse to go into every citizen's telephone. I don't think any citizen would be happy with that, she added. The DoT order said, The central government hereby directs every manufacturer and importer of mobile handsets that are intended for use in India ...from 90 days of issue of these instructions, ensure that the Sanchar Saathi mobile application, as specified by DoT, is pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India. For all such devices that have already been manufactured and are in sales channels in India, the manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets will be required to push the app through software updates. All manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets that are intended for use in India shall submit compliance reports to the DoT within 120 days from issue of these directions, the direction said. The app enables users to report International Mobile Equipment Identity number (IMEI)-related suspicious misuse and also to verify authenticity of IMEIs used in mobile devices. Tampering with telecom identifiers, including the 15-digit IMEI number of mobile phones, are non-bailable offences and can lead to imprisonment of up to three years, fines up to Rs 50 lakh, or both under the Telecommunications Act 2023. Telecom subscribers can also report about fraudulent calls, lost mobile phones etc through the app. The DoT has asked mobile phone companies to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted. The DoT direction said that action will be taken as per the provisions of the Telecommunications Act 2023, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules 2024 and other application laws if the firms fail to comply. At present all the major mobile phone companies Apple, Samsung, Google, Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi etc. manufacture their handsets in India.