The government’s cyber safety application Sanchar Saathi has seen a sharp climb in public interest on Tuesday, with downloads reportedly rising ten times in a single day. As per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sources quoted by PTI, the app, which normally sees around 60,000 downloads per day, recorded close to 6 lakh downloads on Tuesday alone. Officials have stated that the sudden rise came after the Centre announced that all mobile phones in India must carry the app in a pre-installed form.
DoT explains pre-install rules
As per DoT orders, dated November 28, all smartphone makers were directed to make the Sanchar Saathi app visible, functional and accessible on every handset that is sold in India. It has also been directed to push it to existing devices through software updates. However, PTI reported that many opposition leaders and industry experts slammed the move, claiming it raises privacy concerns and may be utilised for surveillance.
Reacting to this, DoT sources told PTI that the rule is aimed only at phone manufacturers, not at users. They clarified that citizens can delete the app anytime if they do not want to use it.
The directives simply prevent firms from hiding the app or installing a non-working version. “It is up to the citizen if they want to enable and register the app or uninstall it,” a DoT official said.
Officials have further mentioned that Sanchar Sathi has very limited permissions. It asks for phone and SMS access only once at the time of verification of the number. It is similar to banking and UPI apps and uses the camera only for actions such as proof of a fraud message, and while capturing an IMEI photo. DoT stated that the app does not access Bluetooth, contacts, microphone, location, other apps or any private data, and it never collects information on its own.
Govt says app is crucial for the public safety
A detailed PIB release stated that cybercrime in India has risen sharply, with incidents rising from 15.9 lakh (2023) to 20.4 lakh (2024). Digital arrest scams, fake IMEI numbers, and fraud SIM usage have become major national threats.
Sanchar Saathi app has already delivered results:
1. Over 42 lakh stolen or lost phones have been blocked.
2. 6.2 lakh fraud-related IMEIs blocked.
3. Rs 475 crore in potential fraud was prevented.
4. Over 26 lakh lost and stolen phones were traced.
5. 1.43 crore fake mobile connections were removed.
Cyber experts, as quoted by PTI, mentioned that the government views the app as an important defence tool against the fast-growing telecom fraud cases, particularly in view of senior citizens.
