India Mulls New Safety Standards For Mobile Phones, Apps Amid Concerns Over National Security

The government is mulling a new framework to develop adequate security standards for mobile phone users, with sources saying the initiative follows concerns over misuse of data and spying by pre-installed apps.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) in a tweet on Tuesday said security of mobile phones is important and the government is in consultation with stakeholders to develop adequate security standards.

'India is emerging as a trusted player in the global value chain of electronics. Security of mobile phones and applications is important. The government is in consultation with stakeholders to develop adequate security standards,' the ministry tweeted.

The initiative follows concerns raised by several stakeholders around misuse of users data and spying by pre-installed apps, an official source said.

"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," a senior government official was quoted by Reuters as saying.

This comes as India had already banned over 300 Chinese apps, including video-sharing platform TikTok, since a deadly border clash between the troops of the two countries in 2020.

Mobile phone players shared that they are on the same page with the government's intent to check data abuse but the process may lead to delay in the launch of new handsets and also impact revenue earned from pre-installed apps.

Homegrown smartphone maker Lava International president Sunil Raina said none of the company's smartphones carry any bloatware or unwanted ads.

'We provide a clean Android experience to our customers. We strongly believe that a device purchased by a customer is his/her property. Hence, the choice of apps should solely be with the customer,' Raina tweeted.

(With inputs from PTI)