Govt plans screening of OS updates to stop snoop ware: Report

The government is planning to introduce new security rules for smartphones as part of a move to counter any snooping attempts from countries such as China. According to a report by Reuters, the government will mandate screening of operating system updates before smartphones are rolled out to users.

As part of the proposed rules, users will also get the power to remove pre-installed applications, officials and industry executives said.

The government is of the view that pre-installed applications in the majority of smartphones pose serious privacy and information security issues, which can be exploited by foreign nations, including China. Chinese players like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo dominate the Indian smartphone market with over 70% share.

According to the report, India's IT ministry is considering these rules amid concerns about spying and abuse of user data.

"Pre-installed apps can be a weak security point, and we want to ensure no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it. It's a matter of national security," an official told Reuters.

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However, Minister of State for IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said the news was "plain wrong", and that there is no "security testing" or "crackdown" as the story suggests.

He posted on Twitter that there was an ongoing consultation between the government and the industry. He did not elaborate this.

India has ramped up scrutiny of Chinese businesses since a 2020 border clash between the neighbours, banning more than 300 Chinese apps, including TikTok. It has also intensified scrutiny of investments by Chinese firms.