New Delhi [India], December 2 : Congress MP KC Venugopal termed the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) directions mandating the pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi application for mobile handsets, as a "dystopian tool" for surveillance.
The DoT has issued directions mandating the Sanchar Saathi App in mobile phones while directing the manufacturers and importers to ensure that the application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and is not disabled or restricted. For devices that have already been manufactured and are currently in sales channels across the country, manufacturers and importers have been asked to make efforts to push the application via software updates.
In a post , Venugopal invoked George Orwell's book '1984' saying, "Big Brother cannot watch us." He called the DoT's directions unconstitutional, alleging that users' movements and interactions will be monitored.
The Congress MP said, "Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT Direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution. A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen. This is part of the long series of relentless assaults on the Constitutional Rights of Indian citizens and will not be allowed to continue. We reject this Direction and demand an immediate rollback."
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also termed it as a "big boss surveillance moment."
In an post on X, Chaturvedi said that they will protest against the move.
"Sanchar Saathi mobile Application mandate to every mobile phone manufacturer as a permanent mobile feature by the GoI is nothing but another BIG BOSS surveillance moment. Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems, it will create surveillance systems, then it should be ready for a pushback," the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP wrote.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Telecommunication, the directions issued on November 28 aim to safeguard citizens from purchasing non-genuine mobile devices, enable easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative.
The directions mandate that the implementation be completed within 90 days, with manufacturers required to submit a compliance report within 120 days.
The DoT has developed the Sanchar Saathi portal and App, which enables citizens to check the genuineness of a mobile handset through the IMEI number, along with other facilities like reporting suspected fraudulent communications, lost or stolen mobile handsets, checking mobile connections in their name, and trusted contact details of banks or financial institutions.