{"id":221658,"date":"2025-12-08T10:27:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T10:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/221658\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:27:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T10:27:23","slug":"oppn-heat-on-sanchar-saathi-app-priyanka-says-snooping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/221658\/","title":{"rendered":"Oppn heat on Sanchar Saathi app, Priyanka says ‘snooping’"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Delhi:<\/strong> Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday called the Centre\u2019s Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app a tool for \u201csnooping\u201d on citizens\u2019 mobile phones, describing it as a step towards turning India into a dictatorship.<\/p>\n

Her remarks came a day after the Ministry of Communications directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the app on all devices to be sold within the next three months.<\/p>\n

\u201cSanchar Saathi is a snooping app, and clearly it\u2019s ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy. Everyone must have the right to send messages to family and friends without the government looking at everything,\u201d Vadra told reporters outside Parliament House.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tShow Full Article<\/p>\n

In addition to Opposition leaders, privacy advocates have also raised concerns about the government\u2019s directive requiring mobile manufacturers to ensure that the app \u201cis readily visible and accessible to end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was widely interpreted as an instruction that the app would be non-removable. However, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified on Tuesday that users would have the option to activate the app only if they chose to, and would also be allowed to delete it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis app does not enable snooping or call monitoring. You can activate or deactivate it as per your wish\u2026 If you don\u2019t want Sanchar Saathi, you can delete it. It is optional\u2026 It is about customer protection. I want to clear all misconceptions\u2026 It is our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Keeping it on their devices or not is up up to the user\u2026 It can be deleted from the mobile phone just like any other app\u2026\u201d Scindia said.<\/p>\n

\n

#WATCH<\/a> | Delhi | On the debate around Sanchar Saathi app, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia says, “When the opposition has no issues, and they are trying to find some, we cannot help them. Our duty is to help the consumers and ensure their safety. The Sanchar\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/Kr3juNrGFq<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/npwm9R1Kf2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking before Scindia\u2019s clarification, Vadra said that while cybersecurity measures are necessary, they do not give the government a licence to intrude into citizens\u2019 private lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a very fine line between reporting fraud and monitoring what every citizen is doing on their phone. That\u2019s not how it should work. There should be an effective system to report fraud. We\u2019ve discussed this at great length, there\u2019s a need for cybersecurity, but that doesn\u2019t mean you get an excuse to enter every citizen\u2019s phone. I don\u2019t think any citizen would be happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas also criticised the move, invoking the Pegasus spyware controversy. He further questioned the status of the CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) probe into claims made by several Opposition leaders in 2023 that they had received warnings from Apple about \u201cstate-sponsored attacks\u201d on their devices.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas anyone heard about the outcome of CERT-In\u2019s probe into state-sponsored iPhone hacks? Questions asked in Parliament on this were continuously disallowed\u2026 Next step, obviously: Ankle monitors, collars and brain implants for 1.4 billion people. Only then will the government finally know what we really think and do,\u201d Brittas wrote on X.<\/p>\n

(Edited by Viny Mishra)<\/p>\n

Also read:<\/strong> Make Sanchar Saathi removable. Good intentions don\u2019t excuse State overreach<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n