Is Sanchar Saathi Mandatory? Minister Clarifies Amid "Snooping App" Row

Amid the massive uproar surrounding the Centre's directions to phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all phones sold in India, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has clarified that mobile phone users will have the option to delete this app if they don't want to use it.

देश के हर नागरिक की डिजिटल सुरक्षा हमारी सर्वोच्च प्राथमिकता है। ‘संचार साथी' ऐप का उद्देश्य है कि प्रत्येक व्यक्ति अपनी निजता की रक्षा कर सके और ऑनलाइन ठगी से सुरक्षित रह सके।

यह एक पूरी तरह स्वैच्छिक और लोकतांत्रिक व्यवस्था है-यूज़र चाहें तो ऐप को सक्रिय कर इसके लाभ ले सकते…

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 2, 2025

Responding to the media's questions on the new directions, Scindia said, "Don't activate it (Sanchar Saathi). If you want to keep it in your phone, keep it. If you want to delete it, do so. For example, when you buy a phone, many apps come pre-installed. Google Maps comes too. Now, if you don't want to use Google Maps, delete it."

Google Maps cannot be deleted from Android phones. It can, however, be disabled. Google Maps can, however, be deleted from iPhones.

READ: "Big Brother" Or Cybersafety Boost? Deep Dive Into Sanchar Saathi App

The minister said he was trying to shatter the myths regarding Sanchar Saathi. "This is a matter of customer protection. There is nothing mandatory. If you do not want to register it, don't. It will stay dormant. And if you want to delete it, delete it. But not every person in the country knows that there is an app to protect him/her from fraud. So it is our responsibility to spread the information," he said, explaining the rationale behind the government's directive to phone manufacturers.

The Congress has flagged potential privacy risks due to the Centre's directions to the phone manufacturers. Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal has said the move is "beyond unconstitutional". "Big Brother cannot watch us. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution," he said on X.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called Sanchar Saathi a "snooping app". "It's ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy. This isn't just about snooping on telephones - overall, they are turning this country into a dictatorship in every possible form," he said. Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), said the Centre's move is "another BIG BOSS surveillance moment".

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram slammed the government. "This has been done in Russia and North Korea. They want to snoop on our private photos and videos," he told NDTV.

Countering the criticism, Scindia said the Opposition is desperately looking for an issue. "It is the government's responsibility to shatter myths. That's what I am doing. In 2024, cyberfraud worth Rs 22,800 took place in our country. The opposition is asking us how we will stop fraud and when we are giving Sanchar Saathi to the common citizen, they are saying it is (snooping tool) Pegasus. We cannot show truth to those who don't want to see it," he said.