Owaisi slams mandatory Sanchar Saathi App as threat to privacy
HYDERABAD: The Union government’s move to introduce the Sanchar Saathi mobile application on every new mobile handset for sale in India is not going down well with privacy advocates, who have opposed it. AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi called it “an effort to destroy citizen privacy” and “government snooping”.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all manufacturers and importers to pre-install the government’s Sanchar Saathi mobile application on every new handset for sale in India to secure the telecom ecosystem.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) AI & Digital Intelligence Unit issued the directive on November 28, 2025. The industry has 90 days to make sure the app is installed and available to users when they first set up their devices. For phones already made and in stores, companies should try to add the app through software updates.
The order, issued under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, targets the threat posed by mobile handsets with duplicate or spoofed International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. The government states that such devices pose a threat to telecom cybersecurity.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi took to his official X(formerly Twitter) handle and wrote, “#SancharSaathiApp is another one of Modi govt’s efforts to destroy citizen privacy & put Indians at risk. The fact that the circular wasn’t even made public reflects poorly on the government. Making the app mandatory and unremovable would make each of our devices susceptible to government snooping (sic)”.
How Sanchar Saathi App will help
The Sanchar Saathi platform, developed by the DoT, lets users and others check a phone’s IMEI and report suspected misuse. By making the app standard and easy to find on all phones, the government hopes to spot fake devices and reduce cyber fraud.
Manufacturers and importers must submit compliance reports to the DoT within 120 days of the directive. Failure to follow these directions will attract action under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, and other applicable laws.
