Sanchar Saathi App | 03 Dec 2025

Source: IE

The directive by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) mandating the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all new mobile phones has triggered strong concerns about user consent, privacy, and constitutional validity. 

• Sanchar Saathi App: Launched in January 2025, it is a citizen-centric platform designed by the DoT to strengthen mobile security and help users protect themselves from rising cyber fraud. 
• Key Features: It lets users track, block, and trace lost or stolen phones through IMEI services and also verify all mobile connections in their name, reporting any suspicious or forged KYC entries. 
  • The Chakshu feature enables reporting of fraud calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and digital arrest scams. 
  • It verifies the genuineness of mobile handsets, helping prevent counterfeit devices in the market. 
  • The app allows reporting of international spoofed calls disguised as +91 numbers. 
• Impact:  Since launch, the app has blocked over 42 lakh stolen/lost devices, and helped trace 26 lakh phones, with 7.23 lakh returned. 
• Privacy and User Control: The app is voluntary, works only with user consent, and can be activated or deleted at any time. 
  • It promotes Jan Bhagidari by involving citizens in reporting and verification, and adheres to the IT Act 2000 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, collecting minimal data and sharing it only when legally required. 
• Concerns: The mandate for pre-installation is being assessed against the KS Puttaswamy (2017) judgment, which upheld the right to privacy and laid down the three-fold test (legality, necessity, and proportionality) for any state action that intrudes on personal privacy. 
  • Experts warn that pre-installed apps usually remain because users rarely delete them, raising the risk of passive surveillance and function creep. Their default presence also undermines informed consent.