Smartphone Security: The Indian government is considering introducing new rules for smartphone security, which would require companies to share their source code. Apple and Samsung have expressed concerns about this.
Smartphone Security: The Indian government is planning a major step regarding smartphone security. Under the proposed rules, companies may have to share their source code, which would facilitate security checks. This move has become a cause for concern for the world's largest tech companies like Apple and Samsung. The matter is directly related to the data security of millions of Indian users, and therefore, this news is crucial for every smartphone user.
India is the world's second-largest smartphone market, with approximately 750 million active devices. Given the increasing incidents of online fraud and data breaches, the government has prepared 83-point security standards. The most sensitive provision among these is access to the source code. This is the programming that runs the smartphone, and which companies keep highly confidential.
If this rule is implemented, users may see some new changes. The option to uninstall pre-installed apps will be available, and the ability to prevent the camera or microphone from being used in the background will also be mandatory. Additionally, companies will have to inform the government before every major update to ensure security checks.
The demand to share source code is unprecedented globally. Neither the US nor Europe has such a rule. Apple had previously rejected a similar demand from China. The question is whether this move by India will strengthen security or jeopardize companies' privacy and innovation.
MAIT, which represents tech companies in India, has demanded that this proposal be withdrawn. They argue that sharing source code is neither practical nor secure. The industry believes that this will directly threaten companies' privacy and intellectual property.
IT Secretary S. Krishnan has stated that the industry's concerns will be heard with an open mind and that a final decision has not yet been made. This proposal is currently under consideration, but if implemented, India would become one of the strictest countries globally in terms of smartphone security regulations.