Apple rejects Indian government order to pre-install state-run apps
The Indian government is requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a state-run cybersecurity app on their phones, but Apple has reportedly not intended to comply with the regulation, and plans to tell the government that the move has sparked concerns about surveillance and political uproar.
Exclusive: Apple to resist India order to preload state-run app as political outcry builds | Reuters
Apple will reportedly refuse India's order to preinstall a government app | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/836384/apple-india-sanchar-saathi-app-response
The Indian government has quietly issued an order requiring smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to pre-install an app called 'Sanchar Saathi' (Communication Partner) within 90 days, which aims to track stolen smartphones and block them from being misused.
The Indian government is not only requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi, but also to ensure that the app cannot be disabled. For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers are required to distribute the app to smartphones through software updates.
It turns out that the Indian government secretly ordered smartphone manufacturers such as Apple to pre-install government security apps - GIGAZINE
India's Ministry of Communications said the order was a response to a 'serious crisis' in cybersecurity. Specifically, it said, 'India has a large market for second-hand mobile devices' and that 'there have been cases of stolen and blacklisted devices being resold.'
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's political opponents and privacy advocates have criticized Sanchar Saathi, saying it is a way for the government to gain access to India's 730 million smartphones. The Indian National Congress has also called for the government to end the mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi.
In response to the criticism, India's Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said that 'Sanchar Saathi is a voluntary and democratic system' and that users can choose whether to enable the app or not and 'can easily remove it from their smartphones at any time.'
However, the government has refrained from commenting or explaining why Communications Minister Scindia ordered smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi.
Apple has no plans to comply with the order and will tell the Indian government that it does not intend to comply with this type of regulation anywhere in the world because it raises numerous privacy and security issues for iOS, industry sources told Reuters.
The source said Apple has no plans to sue or take a public stance, but will tell the government that it cannot comply with the order due to security vulnerabilities.
The order comes as Apple faces a legal battle with India's antitrust watchdog over the company's antitrust laws, which could see the company facing fines of up to $38 billion.
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Following opposition from Apple and Google, the Indian government has withdrawn its order requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install state-run security apps - GIGAZINE
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in Smartphone, Security, Posted by logu_ii