Centre Junks Report On Forcing Smartphone Manufacturers To Share Source Code

The Union IT Ministry has refuted a Reuters report which claimed that the government is proposing to force smartphone manufacturers to share source code and make several software changes as part of a raft of security measures.

The ministry clarified that no final regulations have been framed, adding that "any future framework will be formulated only after due consultations". The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology added that the process of stakeholders' consultations to devise the most appropriate regulatory framework for mobile security has been started.

The ministry also hit out at Reuters for not quoting statements from smartphone manufacturers or industry associations. "Instead, they have selectively chosen to ignore the comments of industry association which clearly indicates its mischievous intent to sensationalise the news," the ministry was quoted as saying by IANS.

"MeitY routinely conducts consultations on various aspects such as safety compliance, electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI/EMC) parameters, Indian language support, interface requirements, and security standards. Following stakeholder consultations, detailed discussions are held with industry on different dimensions of security requirements," it explained.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) earlier said that discussions between the government and the industry have been going on for several years and should not be seen as a sudden policy shift.

Smartphone giants, like Apple and Samsung, were quoted as saying by Reuters that the package of 83 security standards lacks any global precedent and risks revealing proprietary details.

Apple had between 2014 and 2016 declined China's request for source code, and US law enforcement has also tried and failed to get it.