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GS3 · Cyber security

Centre drops mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app

1 min readCyber Securitye-Governance
Battle IAS current affairs title card: Centre drops mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app (GS3 · Cyber security, 3 December 2025)

What happened

  • The government withdrew its order that all smartphones come with the Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed, citing rising voluntary uptake [PIB].
  • PIB said 1.4 crore users had downloaded the app, which receives information on about 2,000 fraud incidents a day; 6 lakh people registered in a single day [PIB].

Background

  • Sanchar Saathi is the Department of Telecommunications’ citizen platform for reporting fraud calls and blocking lost or stolen phones.

Why it matters

  • The episode is a good case on privacy and consent. A state tool may be useful, but compulsion on every device raises questions under K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India (24 Aug 2017), where a nine-judge bench held privacy to be part of Article 21 [Supreme Court].

How to use this in Mains

GS-III Cyber security and money laundering

  1. As per PIB (2025-12-03): the government withdrew its order that all smartphones come with the Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed, citing rising voluntary uptake.
  2. The episode is a good case on privacy and consent. A state tool may be useful, but compulsion on every device raises questions under K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India (24 Aug 2017), where a nine-judge bench held privacy to be part of Article 21 [Supreme Court].
Quotable data point

PIB said 1.4 crore users had downloaded the app, which receives information on about 2,000 fraud incidents a day; 6 lakh people registered in a single day.

PIB: DoT: Sanchar Saathi pre-installation not mandatory, 3 Dec 2025

Exam angle

UPSC

Prelims: Sanchar Saathi. · Mains: digital rights, cyber fraud.

Practice MCQs

Original practice questions (not PYQs).

Practice · UPSC

Sanchar Saathi is run by

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB.

Practice · UPSC

Approximate downloads cited by the government

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB.

Practice · UPSC

Which judgment is the reference point for privacy as a fundamental right?

Answer (b) & explanation

Puttaswamy (2017).

Go deeper

ExplainerCyber Security in India: Types of Threats, Legal Framework, Institutions, Recent Attacks and the Way Forward (UPSC Notes + PYQs)Explainere-Governance in India: Meaning, Models, Digital India, Digital Public Infrastructure and Challenges (UPSC Notes + PYQs)

Official source: PIB: DoT: Sanchar Saathi pre-installation not mandatory, 3 Dec 2025

facts from cited sources only; faculty review pending