Sanchar Saathi Row | Centre Rolls Back Order On Mandatory Pre-Installation Of Sanchar Saathi App

The government on Wednesday afternoon rolled back an order mandating pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on smartphones sold in the country. The order to manufacturers - including US technology giant Apple, which was prepping a legal challenge - was withdrawn because the "the number of users who have downloaded the app (over six lakh in 24 hours and 1.4 crore users overall) has been increasing rapidly", the government said. The mandate to pre-install "was meant to accelerate this process", the government said. The statement also confirmed what Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said yesterday and repeated in Parliament this morning - the app can be deleted if needed.