The central government has denied a news reports By reuters Stating that it is likely to force smartphone makers to remove pre-installed apps under proposed new security rules and allow mandatory screening of major operating system updates, it called it an “unexpected creative imagination”. .
Sharing the report on Twitter, Union Minister for Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the report was “categorically wrong” and based on a “lack of understanding” of ongoing consultations between the government and industry players on mobile security guidelines .
Chandrasekhar wrote on Twitter, “This story is patently false – as the story suggests, there is no “security test” or “crackdown”. n Industry BIS Standard IS17737 (Part-3) on Mobile Security Guidelines for 2021.”
“@GoI_MeitY is 100% committed to Ease of Doing Business n There is complete focus on increasing electronics mfg to reach USD 300 billion by 2026,” he said.
This story is clearly false – there is no “security test” or “crackdown” as the story states. The story is probably based on a lack of understanding, the limitless creative imagination which is based on the ongoing consultation process between the ministry and industry on mobile. https://t.co/V0G1RRZLJP, https://t.co/aoQjJEr7Ed
– Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) March 15, 2023
report by reuters on Tuesday, citing two people and a government document, and said that India’s IT ministry is considering new rules, details of which have not been previously reported, amid concerns about espionage and misuse of user data.
“Pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and we want to make sure that this is not being exploited by any foreign country, including China. It is a matter of national security,” said a senior government official. reuters On condition of anonymity.
According to the report, the new rules will push up launch timelines in the world’s No. 2 smartphone market and hurt business with pre-installed apps for players including Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Apple.
The issue of data breaches and risks related to the use of Chinese mobile apps and phones was first highlighted in 2020. After the Galwan Valley conflict, the Indian government banned several Chinese mobile apps. The government had banned 59 Chinese apps including popular apps like TikTok, WeChat and Shareit to protect the privacy of its citizens. The list grew longer as more apps were added over the past few months. But these apps are back in India under new identities, posing a major threat to the security and privacy of Indian users.
Globally, many countries have already banned the use of technology from Chinese firms such as Huawei and Hikvision, fearing Beijing could use them to spy on foreign nationals. However, the Chinese government denied such claims.
Currently, many smartphones have pre-installed apps that cannot be removed, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s app store GetApps, Samsung’s payments app Samsung Pay Mini and iPhone maker Apple’s browser Safari.
what does the reuters report say
According to reportsSmartphone makers will have to provide an uninstall option and new models will be checked for compliance by labs authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency under the new rules, said two people with knowledge of the plan.
One of the people said the government is considering mandating the screening of every major operating system update before rolling it out to consumers.
“Most smartphones used in India have pre-installed apps/bloatware that pose serious privacy/information security issues,” said confidential government records of a February 8 IT ministry meeting seen by Reuters. “.
The records of the meeting show that the closed-door meeting was attended by representatives from Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple and Vivo.
The document states that the government has decided to give smartphone makers a year to comply after the rules come into force, the date of which is yet to be decided.
read all Latest Tech News Here